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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. ground — a position
  4. key — in music
  5. fine — high quality
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. ground — crushed
  8. current — electric
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. club — a group
  12. current — happening now
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. key — for a lock
  17. fine — all right
  18. club — for golf
  19. club — for dancing
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. current — of water
  22. track — a path
  23. ground — the earth
  24. branch — of a bank

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