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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. track — a path
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. current — electric
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — in cards
  9. current — happening now
  10. march — the month
  11. pound — a weight
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. board — a committee
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. march — music
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. toast — bread
  19. march — the month
  20. track — a song
  21. board — to get on
  22. current — of water
  23. track — to keep track
  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