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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. track — a song
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pop — soda
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. present — the time now
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bear — the animal
  11. present — a gift
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pop — music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. track — a path
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. pound — a weight
  19. track — to keep track
  20. present — there
  21. row — a line
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. row — to paddle
  24. hide — to keep secret

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