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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: track · game · drill · wind · pound · file · season · bay

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. track — a song
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — in sport
  7. game — a match
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. file — a tool
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. season — of the year
  12. drill — the tool
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. track — to keep track
  17. file — a document
  18. track — a path
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pound — a weight
  23. drill — army training
  24. wind — moving air

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