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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitch — completely
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. game — wild animals
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. track — a song
  16. stock — shares
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a friend
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. track — a path
  22. mate — a partner
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pound — a weight

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