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

Word bank: pound · racket · march · bay · prune · dip · season · deal

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — in sport
  4. pound — a weight
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. march — the month
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. march — the month
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. deal — to handle
  16. dip — to sink
  17. march — music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. dip — to dunk

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