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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: dip · pound · ground · court · season · game · saw · wave

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. court — for sport
  4. game — wild animals
  5. saw — the tool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. ground — crushed
  11. season — in sport
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. court — of law
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. saw — the tool
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ground — the earth
  19. season — of the year
  20. court — of a king
  21. ground — a position
  22. game — a match
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wave — with your hand

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