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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — a path
  3. sharp — clever
  4. bank — for money
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. cell — a phone
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. can — to be able to
  12. cell — in biology
  13. can — a tin
  14. wake — a trail
  15. track — to keep track
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bank — of a river
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bank — for money
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. can — a tin

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