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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. land — to come down
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. shower — rain
  5. ball — a dance
  6. land — ground
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. ball — a great time
  11. track — to keep track
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. mate — a friend
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fine — high quality
  17. shower — to wash
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. land — a country
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pound — a weight
  23. mate — a partner
  24. fine — all right

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