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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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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: suit · hide · lie · pound · land · track · mug · game

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. game — wild animals
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. land — to come down
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mug — a cup
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — in cards
  12. mug — a face
  13. pound — a weight
  14. track — a song
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mug — to rob
  18. game — a match
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. track — a path
  21. land — a country
  22. suit — to fit
  23. land — ground
  24. lie — an untruth

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