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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. pound — a weight
  5. suit — in cards
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pop — music
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. chest — of your body
  12. track — to keep track
  13. pop — to visit
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. roll — a list
  18. game — a match
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. suit — to fit
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. pop — soda
  24. pound — to hit hard

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