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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: date · content · pound · hide · fall · track · bound · lie

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pound — a weight
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bound — tied together
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. date — the fruit
  20. content — the amount
  21. fall — the season
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. content — happy
  24. hide — to keep secret

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