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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 · deal · season · safe · root · fine · pound · bound

  1. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. fine — all right
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. root — of a plant
  5. track — a song
  6. pound — a weight
  7. season — of the year
  8. track — a path
  9. track — to keep track
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. root — the cause
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bound — obliged
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. season — in sport
  19. deal — to handle
  20. root — of a word
  21. bound — tied together
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bound — certain

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