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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 116 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pound — a weight
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spell — letters
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. land — a country
  8. spell — magic
  9. cue — for pool
  10. firm — steady
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. stem — to come from
  13. spell — a short time
  14. track — to keep track
  15. track — a path
  16. scale — in music
  17. firm — a company
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. firm — decided
  20. land — to come down
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — a hint
  24. land — ground

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