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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. game — a match
  3. saw — the tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. track — to keep track
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rest — what's left
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rest — a break
  14. drill — army training
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. track — a path
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. branch — a division
  20. game — wild animals
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. drill — the tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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