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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stock — goods
  3. craft — boats
  4. march — music
  5. bound — obliged
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. track — a song
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. game — a match
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — certain
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stock — shares
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bound — tied together
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. track — to keep track

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