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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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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: mate · pound · track · ball · wound · land · drill · suit

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. suit — to fit
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pound — a weight
  5. drill — army training
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. wound — an injury
  9. suit — clothes
  10. ball — a dance
  11. drill — the tool
  12. land — ground
  13. mate — to breed
  14. track — a song
  15. wound — an injury
  16. mate — a friend
  17. track — a path
  18. land — a country
  19. ball — a great time
  20. suit — in cards
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mate — a partner
  23. land — to come down
  24. pound — for dogs

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