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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pop — music
  5. pound — a weight
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. object — a thing
  8. bore — to tire
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. object — an aim
  12. season — of the year
  13. bore — to drill
  14. track — a path
  15. track — a song
  16. object — to protest
  17. pop — soda
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. season — in sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pound — for dogs

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