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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 ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. season — in sport
  4. track — to keep track
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. net — after costs
  9. swing — music
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. net — in sport
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — of the year
  17. swing — to play on
  18. net — for catching
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. march — the month
  21. track — a song
  22. bank — of a river
  23. track — a path
  24. swing — in golf

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