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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a song
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. prune — to trim
  10. fine — all right
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fine — high quality
  16. deal — to handle
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — moving air
  19. march — music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. track — a path

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