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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chest — a box
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. track — a path
  15. chest — of your body
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. firm — decided
  18. firm — steady
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. stock — goods
  22. date — the fruit
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. firm — a company

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