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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. toast — bread
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. pass — a permit
  5. roll — a list
  6. tear — to rip
  7. track — a song
  8. bound — certain
  9. roll — a cake
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. branch — a division
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bound — tied together
  17. tear — from crying
  18. bound — obliged
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. track — a path
  21. tear — from crying
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. toast — the most admired

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