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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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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 · deal · lie · cue · drill · bowl · pound · last

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. last — to go on
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. season — in sport
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — to handle
  14. drill — the tool
  15. season — of the year
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a signal
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. drill — a practice
  21. last — final
  22. cue — a hint
  23. drill — army training
  24. last — finally

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