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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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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: pound · net · field · season · mug · swing · march · bowl

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. march — the month
  5. march — the month
  6. swing — in golf
  7. net — for catching
  8. net — after costs
  9. swing — to play on
  10. mug — a face
  11. season — of the year
  12. field — for sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. mug — a cup
  15. season — in sport
  16. field — a subject
  17. march — music
  18. swing — music
  19. field — farmland
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bowl — a dish

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