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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. pop — soda
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pop — to visit
  6. track — a path
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. firm — steady
  9. game — a match
  10. prune — to trim
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — a skill
  13. shower — rain
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. prune — to trim
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — a company
  20. craft — boats
  21. pop — music
  22. game — wild animals
  23. shower — to wash
  24. track — a song

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