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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 120 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. can — a tin
  3. ground — the earth
  4. can — a tin
  5. rash — a series
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bass — the fish
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. pound — a weight
  14. can — to be able to
  15. ground — a position
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. plane — a tool
  18. bass — low music
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. game — a match
  24. hide — to keep secret

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