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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. track — a path
  3. spring — of water
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mug — a face
  7. bear — the animal
  8. wound — an injury
  9. track — a song
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. pound — a weight
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. spring — the season
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spring — a coil
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pass — a permit
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kick — in football
  24. wound — an injury

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