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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. season — in sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bass — low music
  6. season — of the year
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. root — of a plant
  9. bass — the fish
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. present — a gift
  15. root — of a word
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. band — a ring
  18. present — the time now
  19. root — the cause
  20. present — there
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. content — happy
  23. content — the amount
  24. band — a music group

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