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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pop — music
  3. land — a country
  4. pop — soda
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rest — what's left
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. track — a path
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. land — to come down
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wind — moving air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rest — a break
  18. pop — to visit
  19. land — ground
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rush — hurry
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. track — to keep track

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