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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. net — after costs
  3. tear — from crying
  4. track — to keep track
  5. net — in sport
  6. track — a path
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bank — for money
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bank — for money
  11. season — in sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. net — for catching
  15. track — a song
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. swing — music
  21. bank — of a river
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. season — of the year

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