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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — decided
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. firm — steady
  10. game — a match
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — the underground
  14. season — of the year
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. season — in sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bass — low music
  21. pound — a weight
  22. game — wild animals
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bass — the fish

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