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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. perch — the fish
  3. stand — to bear
  4. fine — all right
  5. suit — in cards
  6. pound — a weight
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bass — low music
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. suit — to fit
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. fine — high quality
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — help
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. suit — clothes
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. cold — an illness

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