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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. pound — a weight
  3. present — a gift
  4. track — a song
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. present — the time now
  8. track — to keep track
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. present — there
  14. wound — an injury
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. ground — a position
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. land — ground
  23. track — a path
  24. ground — crushed

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