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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a song
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. last — to go on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. pound — a weight
  8. field — for sport
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. last — finally
  12. bore — to drill
  13. field — farmland
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. track — a path
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. field — a subject
  24. bound — certain

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