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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: field · mate · bass · staff · pound · foot · snap · chair

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. field — for sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pound — a weight
  6. chair — a leader
  7. staff — employees
  8. field — a subject
  9. mate — a friend
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mate — to breed
  15. snap — to click
  16. staff — employees
  17. field — farmland
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. mate — a partner
  22. staff — a stick
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. foot — a measure

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