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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. game — a match
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. season — of the year
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. pound — a weight
  10. net — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pop — soda
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — a position
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. season — in sport
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. net — for catching
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wax — to grow
  24. net — after costs

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