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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. swing — music
  5. squash — the sport
  6. track — a song
  7. cap — a lid
  8. track — a path
  9. cap — a hat
  10. bank — of a river
  11. squash — to crush
  12. cold — not warm
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rash — a series
  15. cap — of ice
  16. bank — for money
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. season — in sport
  20. swing — to play on
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bank — for money
  23. season — of the year
  24. squash — the vegetable

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