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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: season · court · clip · rush · bear · pitcher · pound · lie

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. bear — the animal
  4. season — of the year
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — to cut
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. lie — to recline
  19. court — of law
  20. clip — for paper
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. court — of a king
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. season — in sport

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