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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pound — a weight
  8. track — to keep track
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. key — the most important part
  13. ground — a position
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. key — in music
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. key — for a lock

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