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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fine — all right
  3. track — to keep track
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. fine — high quality
  8. land — ground
  9. clip — for paper
  10. clip — a video
  11. bore — to drill
  12. track — a song
  13. bore — to tire
  14. firm — steady
  15. clip — to cut
  16. firm — decided
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. land — to come down
  19. prune — to trim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. roll — a list
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. land — a country
  24. firm — a company

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