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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. squash — to crush
  4. track — a path
  5. ground — the earth
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. sharp — clever
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. net — in sport
  10. bank — for money
  11. net — after costs
  12. bank — for money
  13. track — a song
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. ground — crushed
  16. net — for catching
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ground — a position
  19. squash — the sport
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. bank — of a river
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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