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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. track — a song
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cue — a hint
  9. ground — crushed
  10. swing — to play on
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. swing — music
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. ground — a position
  15. game — a match
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. swing — in golf
  19. pound — a weight
  20. wake — a trail
  21. game — wild animals
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. track — a path
  24. leaves — of a tree

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