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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mine — for digging
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. track — a song
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. present — there
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. track — a path
  16. kick — in football
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. chip — to eat
  21. present — the time now
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. wake — a trail
  24. present — a gift

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