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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. can — a tin
  6. tear — from crying
  7. row — a line
  8. swing — music
  9. pit — in a race
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rock — a stone
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rock — music
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pit — a hole
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. swing — in golf
  18. row — to paddle
  19. tear — to rip
  20. swing — to play on
  21. can — a tin
  22. dip — to sink
  23. tear — from crying
  24. rock — to move gently

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