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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pop — music
  3. land — ground
  4. pop — soda
  5. present — there
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. can — a tin
  8. track — a path
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stock — goods
  11. present — the time now
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. wind — moving air
  15. track — a song
  16. land — to come down
  17. present — a gift
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stock — shares
  20. land — a country
  21. fine — high quality
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. wind — to turn a key

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