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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bank — for money
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bank — for money
  10. bat — the animal
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. bank — of a river
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mine — for digging
  19. track — a song
  20. pound — a weight
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. sharp — clever
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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