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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. swing — music
  3. tube — the underground
  4. swing — to play on
  5. track — to keep track
  6. charge — electricity
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. land — ground
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. track — a song
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bound — tied together
  16. charge — a price
  17. bound — certain
  18. tube — a container
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. swing — in golf
  21. charge — in control
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

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