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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 116 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: pound · fork · kick · swing · track · ground · bore · mate

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. mate — a friend
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. swing — music
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mate — a partner
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bore — to drill
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bore — to tire
  17. ground — the earth
  18. fork — in a road
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. mate — to breed
  22. ground — a position
  23. track — to keep track
  24. pound — a weight

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