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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pound — a weight
  3. track — a path
  4. capital — money
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. shower — rain
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. capital — a city
  12. last — finally
  13. prune — to trim
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. shower — to wash
  18. track — a song
  19. last — final
  20. prune — to trim
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. last — to go on
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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