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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tube — the underground
  13. game — a match
  14. cap — a hat
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. rock — music
  18. cap — a lid
  19. tube — a container
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitch — completely
  22. cap — of ice
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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