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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. mate — to breed
  3. band — a music group
  4. bass — low music
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. band — a ring
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. pound — a weight
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fine — high quality
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. fine — all right
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cell — in biology
  24. band — a rubber band

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com