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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. deal — to handle
  4. track — a path
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. track — a song
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. land — ground
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. track — to keep track
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. march — the month
  15. row — a line
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pound — a weight
  19. land — to come down
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. land — a country
  24. row — a quarrel

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