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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. bass — low music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. ball — a dance
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. swing — in golf
  11. bat — the animal
  12. land — ground
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bass — the fish
  16. swing — music
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. ball — a great time
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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