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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ground — a position
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. track — to keep track
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — finally
  11. pound — a weight
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. track — a song
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. last — final
  17. face — to confront
  18. ground — crushed
  19. track — a path
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. face — to point toward
  24. last — to go on

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