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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. track — a path
  3. bass — low music
  4. object — to protest
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. season — of the year
  7. object — an aim
  8. wind — moving air
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. track — a song
  11. bass — the fish
  12. season — in sport
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — the time now
  15. object — a thing
  16. present — a gift
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. track — to keep track

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