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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pop — to visit
  5. pop — music
  6. mate — a partner
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pop — soda
  9. track — a path
  10. fine — all right
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. fine — high quality
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. wound — an injury
  17. ground — a position
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mate — to breed
  20. ground — the earth
  21. track — a song
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. leaves — of a tree

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