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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 116 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. march — music
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. board — to get on
  12. press — newspapers
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. board — a committee
  17. march — the month
  18. press — to push
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. track — a song
  21. track — to keep track
  22. press — a publisher
  23. march — the month
  24. mark — to pay attention

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