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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. file — a document
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. field — for sport
  6. face — to point toward
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. field — a subject
  9. mate — a friend
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. field — farmland
  12. pound — a weight
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. mate — to breed
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. rush — hurry
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. face — part of the head
  22. file — a tool
  23. kick — in football
  24. face — to confront

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