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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. pound — a weight
  5. squash — to crush
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. season — of the year
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. squash — the sport
  12. degree — an amount
  13. club — for dancing
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. degree — from a university
  17. season — in sport
  18. hand — help
  19. degree — temperature
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. snap — to click
  24. patient — a sick person

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