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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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. wound — an injury
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. press — to push
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. press — a publisher
  9. craft — a skill
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rock — music
  13. press — newspapers
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. track — to keep track
  16. rock — a stone
  17. date — the fruit
  18. wound — an injury
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wind — moving air
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. track — a song
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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