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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. field — a subject
  4. last — final
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. bass — low music
  7. pound — a weight
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. season — in sport
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. field — for sport
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chip — for betting
  15. field — farmland
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. season — of the year
  19. last — to go on
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. last — finally
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bowl — to roll

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