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

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. track — a song
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. shower — rain
  10. cap — of ice
  11. squash — to crush
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bulb — for light
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. bore — to tire
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cap — a hat
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. cap — a lid
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. bore — gave birth

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