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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. court — for sport
  3. rest — what's left
  4. court — of law
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. bass — low music
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. rest — what's left
  9. rest — a break
  10. spring — the season
  11. court — of a king
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bass — the fish
  15. season — in sport
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. net — after costs
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — in sport
  21. spring — of water
  22. net — for catching
  23. season — of the year
  24. pound — a weight

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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