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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cue — a hint
  7. board — a committee
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a signal
  10. field — for sport
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. field — a subject
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. field — farmland
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bass — low music
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. board — to get on
  21. track — a song
  22. wound — an injury
  23. foot — a measure
  24. wound — an injury

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