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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. scale — size or range
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mate — a friend
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. spell — magic
  9. deal — to handle
  10. drill — the tool
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. spell — a short time
  15. mate — to breed
  16. spell — letters
  17. season — in sport
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. mate — a partner
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. drill — army training
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. deal — an agreement

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