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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 120 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: rock · last · season · cabinet · saw · pound · court · cue

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. rock — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. last — final
  5. season — in sport
  6. pound — a weight
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. court — of a king
  11. saw — the tool
  12. court — of law
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cue — a signal
  17. court — for sport
  18. saw — the tool
  19. last — to go on
  20. season — of the year
  21. cue — a hint
  22. last — finally
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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