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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a path
  4. cold — an illness
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rash — a series
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bear — the animal
  9. firm — decided
  10. rash — hasty
  11. track — to keep track
  12. staff — employees
  13. firm — steady
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. staff — a stick
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. bear — the animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. rock — music
  23. firm — a company
  24. rock — a stone

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