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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. track — a song
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mine — for digging
  5. plane — a tool
  6. press — a publisher
  7. track — a path
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. press — to push
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bound — obliged
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. bound — tied together
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. mate — a friend
  17. press — newspapers
  18. bound — certain
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pound — a weight
  22. mate — to breed
  23. court — of law
  24. pound — for dogs

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