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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: game · leaves · bass · squash · pound · sharp · rash · saw

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. squash — to crush
  4. game — a match
  5. bass — low music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. squash — the sport
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pound — a weight
  14. game — wild animals
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. rash — a series
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. sharp — clever

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