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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pound — a weight
  6. band — a ring
  7. swing — in golf
  8. track — a path
  9. bulb — for light
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stock — goods
  14. swing — music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. mate — to breed
  17. track — a song
  18. band — a music group
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. mate — a partner
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stock — shares
  24. swing — to play on

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