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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rush — hurry
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. last — final
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rest — a break
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rest — what's left
  10. track — a song
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stock — shares
  14. object — an aim
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — to keep track
  17. pit — a hole
  18. object — a thing
  19. last — finally
  20. object — to protest
  21. stock — goods
  22. bear — the animal
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rush — to hurry

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