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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. field — farmland
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bass — the fish
  14. rule — government
  15. mark — a grade
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rule — a law
  20. field — a subject
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bass — low music
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — to hit hard

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