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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 116 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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. march — the month
  3. can — to be able to
  4. march — music
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. net — after costs
  7. can — a tin
  8. rash — a series
  9. track — a path
  10. march — the month
  11. band — a ring
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. can — a tin
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. net — for catching
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. net — in sport
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. band — a music group
  23. dip — to sink
  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