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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. game — wild animals
  5. club — a group
  6. bulb — for light
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. club — for dancing
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. shower — to wash
  11. pound — a weight
  12. club — for golf
  13. squash — to crush
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. squash — the sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. bulb — of a plant

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