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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · bay · clip · bat · nail · track · pit · pound

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pound — a weight
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. pit — a hole
  10. track — a song
  11. track — a path
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. clip — a video
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. clip — for paper

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