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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. track — a path
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bulb — for light
  6. track — a song
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. deal — to handle
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. bass — the fish
  15. fine — all right
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rash — a series
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. fine — high quality
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — to wash
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. bass — low music

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