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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spring — a coil
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. spring — of water
  8. track — to keep track
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. deal — to handle
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. mine — for digging
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. spring — the season
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. coach — a trainer

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