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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bear — the animal
  5. net — in sport
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. present — there
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. present — the time now
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. net — for catching
  15. pound — a weight
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. present — a gift
  21. net — after costs
  22. band — a music group
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. game — a match

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