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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. net — in sport
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. net — after costs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. rule — a law
  13. bore — to drill
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. net — for catching
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cue — a signal

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