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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pound — a weight
  3. charge — a price
  4. date — the fruit
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. charge — electricity
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. sharp — clever
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. game — a match
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. game — wild animals
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. charge — in control
  24. foot — the bottom

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