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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: track · pound · safe · ground · lean · kid · bay · fine

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. ground — a position
  3. kid — to tease
  4. ground — crushed
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. ground — the earth
  10. lean — to bend
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. track — a path
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. lean — thin
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. kid — child
  22. fine — all right
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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