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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 116 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spell — a short time
  3. track — a song
  4. band — a music group
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — a series
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rash — hasty
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. spell — letters
  17. lie — to recline
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. spell — magic
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. band — a ring
  24. rash — on the skin

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