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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. track — a path
  3. craft — boats
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. spring — of water
  6. pound — a weight
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. net — after costs
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. track — a song
  18. net — for catching
  19. spring — a coil
  20. net — in sport
  21. track — to keep track
  22. craft — a skill
  23. spring — the season
  24. craft — a handicraft

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