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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. track — a path
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. shower — rain
  10. bore — to drill
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. shower — to wash
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bore — to tire

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