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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 124 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. track — a path
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. track — to keep track
  8. fall — the season
  9. kick — in football
  10. pound — a weight
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. object — to protest
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fall — to drop
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. object — an aim
  18. track — a song
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. fall — to drop
  23. squash — the sport
  24. object — a thing

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