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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 120 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mine — for digging
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. march — music
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. march — the month
  9. track — to keep track
  10. land — ground
  11. land — to come down
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bank — for money
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bank — for money
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bank — of a river
  21. fine — all right
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. track — a path
  24. land — a country

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