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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — a weight
  4. pitch — completely
  5. suit — to fit
  6. last — finally
  7. ground — the earth
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. track — a path
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. ground — a position
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. last — to go on
  16. branch — a division
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. suit — in cards
  24. pitch — a sports field

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