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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. row — to paddle
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. mine — for digging
  9. season — in sport
  10. march — music
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. march — the month
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. march — the month
  21. row — a line
  22. season — of the year
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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