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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. land — a country
  6. land — ground
  7. bear — the animal
  8. board — a committee
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. field — for sport
  14. bass — the fish
  15. field — a subject
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. stock — shares
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. land — to come down
  21. bass — low music
  22. field — farmland
  23. stock — goods
  24. board — to get on

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