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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: dip · last · coach · swing · land · track · net · pound

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. track — a path
  3. net — in sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. swing — to play on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. last — to go on
  9. track — a song
  10. net — for catching
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. land — ground
  13. track — to keep track
  14. net — after costs
  15. last — final
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. land — to come down
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — a weight
  20. swing — in golf
  21. last — finally
  22. swing — music
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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