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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 · shower · fine · foot · pound · bass · spell · pitch

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  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. fine — a penalty
  2. pitch — completely
  3. pound — a weight
  4. bass — the fish
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. spell — letters
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bass — low music
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — in sport
  12. shower — to wash
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. fine — all right
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. foot — a measure
  19. season — of the year
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. fine — high quality
  23. foot — part of the body
  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