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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. lash — an eyelash
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. track — to keep track
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. track — a song
  12. pound — a weight
  13. ball — a dance
  14. season — in sport
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. plane — a tool
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. season — of the year
  23. coach — a trainer
  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