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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bat — the animal
  3. spell — magic
  4. land — to come down
  5. ball — a dance
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. season — of the year
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. land — a country
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. spell — letters
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. land — ground
  19. season — in sport
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stem — to come from
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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