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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. track — a song
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. track — to keep track
  9. pound — a weight
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. hand — help
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. staff — employees
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. staff — a stick
  19. track — a path
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. spell — magic
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. staff — employees
  24. safe — out of danger

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