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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. roll — a cake
  3. toast — bread
  4. board — a committee
  5. roll — a list
  6. march — the month
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. file — a tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. track — a song
  11. march — the month
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. key — for a lock
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. march — music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. board — to get on
  18. key — in music
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. track — a path
  21. key — the most important part
  22. file — a document
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. lie — to recline

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