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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cold — an illness
  3. land — ground
  4. bank — of a river
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bank — for money
  8. hand — help
  9. snap — to click
  10. track — to keep track
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. land — to come down
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. land — a country
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. bank — for money
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. cold — not warm
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. track — a song
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hand — in cards

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