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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. track — a song
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. saw — the tool
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. pound — a weight
  8. rest — a break
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rest — what's left
  11. roll — a list
  12. ground — the earth
  13. track — a path
  14. rock — music
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. ground — a position
  21. roll — a cake
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rest — what's left
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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