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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. track — a path
  5. roll — a list
  6. present — a gift
  7. staff — a stick
  8. present — there
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. present — the time now
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. lean — thin
  16. bat — the animal
  17. rash — a series
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. track — to keep track
  21. lean — to bend
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pound — to hit hard

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