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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — in sport
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. degree — from a university
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. degree — an amount
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fine — all right
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. squash — to crush
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pound — a weight
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. bay — a horse colour

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