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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. wake — a trail
  4. land — to come down
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. land — ground
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. swing — to play on
  13. shower — to wash
  14. land — a country
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. track — to keep track
  19. pass — a permit
  20. swing — in golf
  21. track — a song
  22. shower — rain
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. swing — music

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