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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. club — for dancing
  3. pop — soda
  4. can — a tin
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chair — a leader
  7. object — to protest
  8. pop — music
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. season — in sport
  12. object — an aim
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. club — a group
  16. track — to keep track
  17. club — for golf
  18. can — a tin
  19. object — a thing
  20. season — of the year
  21. track — a song
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. can — to be able to
  24. season — to add flavour

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