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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's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. track — to keep track
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. ball — a dance
  6. track — a path
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — a division
  9. toast — bread
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. fine — high quality
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. shower — rain
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. track — a song
  21. ball — a great time
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. fine — all right
  24. cold — an illness

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