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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. march — the month
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. march — music
  7. rush — hurry
  8. field — for sport
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. march — the month
  12. field — a subject
  13. game — a match
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — a series
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cue — a signal
  24. field — farmland

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