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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. pound — for dogs
  2. swing — to play on
  3. race — a contest
  4. stock — shares
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — music
  8. race — humankind
  9. root — the cause
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. season — in sport
  13. stock — goods
  14. race — the arms race
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. track — a path
  20. pound — a weight
  21. swing — in golf
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — of the year
  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