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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: mate · rule · bound · season · pop · spell · bass · pound

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bass — the fish
  3. spell — magic
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pop — soda
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pop — music
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mate — to breed
  16. bass — low music
  17. pop — to visit
  18. spell — letters
  19. pound — a weight
  20. bound — certain
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. season — of the year
  23. mate — a friend
  24. pound — to hit hard

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