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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pound — a weight
  3. game — wild animals
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. can — a tin
  8. ground — a position
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. can — to be able to
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. sharp — clever
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. can — a tin
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. game — a match
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mate — a friend

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