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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. staff — employees
  4. track — a path
  5. bass — the fish
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. fine — all right
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bass — low music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. staff — a stick
  15. staff — employees
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. track — a song
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bore — to tire
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pitcher — a jug

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