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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. roll — a list
  4. saw — the tool
  5. track — a path
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. season — of the year
  9. pound — a weight
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fall — the season
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fall — to drop
  19. club — for golf
  20. track — a song
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. fall — to drop
  23. track — to keep track
  24. fine — high quality

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