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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. pop — soda
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. clip — for paper
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. clip — a video
  8. stand — to bear
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. date — the fruit
  13. ground — crushed
  14. track — a song
  15. clip — to cut
  16. track — a path
  17. pound — a weight
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. ground — the earth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — a position
  22. pop — music
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. stand — on your feet

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