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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  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. cold — an illness
  2. craft — a skill
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. track — a path
  8. court — for sport
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. last — to go on
  11. lean — to bend
  12. last — finally
  13. cold — not warm
  14. last — final
  15. court — of law
  16. craft — boats
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bank — for money
  19. lean — thin
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. bank — of a river
  22. court — of a king
  23. bank — for money
  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