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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rash — a series
  3. track — to keep track
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. present — the time now
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. bass — low music
  9. rash — hasty
  10. present — a gift
  11. bass — the fish
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. tear — to rip
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. present — there
  17. squash — the sport
  18. track — a song

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