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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. game — a match
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. field — farmland
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fall — to drop
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. content — the amount
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. content — happy
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pound — a weight
  21. fall — the season
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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