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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. present — a gift
  5. ground — a position
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — letters
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rock — a stone
  11. snap — to click
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. track — a song
  14. season — of the year
  15. spell — a short time
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. spell — magic
  19. ground — the earth
  20. present — there
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. present — the time now
  23. ground — crushed
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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