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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fine — all right
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. lean — thin
  10. track — to keep track
  11. chest — a box
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. chest — of your body
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. squash — to crush
  17. track — a path
  18. track — a song
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. pound — a weight
  24. season — in sport

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