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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a music group
  4. charge — a price
  5. bass — the fish
  6. bass — low music
  7. pound — a weight
  8. charge — in control
  9. face — to point toward
  10. charge — electricity
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. face — to confront
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. face — part of the head
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. wound — an injury

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