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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitch — completely
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. season — of the year
  7. game — wild animals
  8. court — of a king
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. game — a match
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rule — government
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — of law
  18. rule — a law
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. court — for sport
  21. mine — for digging
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mine — an explosive

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