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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bass — low music
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. track — to keep track
  7. land — to come down
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. land — a country
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. court — of law
  12. deal — to handle
  13. track — a path
  14. sharp — clever
  15. stand — to bear
  16. file — a document
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. file — a tool
  19. court — of a king
  20. land — ground
  21. bass — the fish
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. court — for sport
  24. track — a song

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