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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. track — a song
  7. chip — to eat
  8. season — of the year
  9. rush — hurry
  10. track — to keep track
  11. last — final
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. season — in sport
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. last — finally
  17. chip — for betting
  18. track — a path
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mine — for digging
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. last — to go on
  24. pound — a weight

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