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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chest — of your body
  6. club — for dancing
  7. court — of law
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — for sport
  10. rock — music
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chest — a box
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stock — shares
  15. club — for golf
  16. chest — of your body
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. track — a song
  19. foot — a measure
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. club — a group
  22. court — of a king
  23. stock — goods
  24. track — to keep track

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