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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. key — for a lock
  4. key — in music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. object — a thing
  7. stock — goods
  8. staff — employees
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. track — a song
  12. object — to protest
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. object — an aim
  16. key — the most important part
  17. band — a music group
  18. staff — employees
  19. track — to keep track
  20. stock — shares
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. band — a ring

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