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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. last — to go on
  6. track — to keep track
  7. pitch — completely
  8. last — final
  9. pound — a weight
  10. track — a song
  11. can — a tin
  12. kick — in football
  13. can — to be able to
  14. track — a path
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. roll — a list
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. can — a tin
  23. land — to come down
  24. last — finally

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