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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 120 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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. present — a gift
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. season — in sport
  6. present — there
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pit — in a race
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. pound — a weight
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. season — of the year
  15. game — wild animals
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pit — a hole
  21. present — the time now
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. mine — for digging

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