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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — a path
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. rock — a stone
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. firm — a company
  13. net — after costs
  14. firm — steady
  15. net — for catching
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. game — a match
  19. track — a song
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. shower — to wash
  23. firm — decided
  24. shower — rain

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