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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. pop — music
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. band — a ring
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. track — a song
  12. pop — to visit
  13. sharp — clever
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. kid — to tease
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pound — a weight
  23. season — in sport
  24. pop — soda

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