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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: ball · pound · season · bear · kick · kid · bass · clip

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bass — the fish
  3. kid — child
  4. season — in sport
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. clip — a video
  11. season — of the year
  12. bass — low music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ball — a dance
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bear — the animal
  23. clip — for paper
  24. kick — in football

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