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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 116 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. last — to go on
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. season — of the year
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. firm — a company
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. firm — steady
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. game — a match
  17. firm — decided
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. last — finally
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. last — final
  23. season — in sport
  24. game — wild animals

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