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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. can — a tin
  3. row — a line
  4. swing — in golf
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. track — a song
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. swing — to play on
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. can — a tin
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. can — to be able to
  22. swing — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. drill — army training

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