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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. land — a country
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pound — a weight
  6. land — to come down
  7. season — in sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. land — ground
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. season — of the year
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. season — to add flavour

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