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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. net — for catching
  4. roll — a list
  5. pop — to visit
  6. net — in sport
  7. file — a tool
  8. mark — a trace
  9. track — a path
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. track — a song
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. file — a line of people
  16. net — after costs
  17. track — to keep track
  18. file — a document
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pop — music
  24. mark — to pay attention

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