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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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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 · bowl · bass · mark · cue · pound · scale · pitcher

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. season — of the year
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mark — a trace
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. season — in sport
  16. bass — low music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bass — the fish
  19. scale — in music
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pitcher — a jug

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