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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. branch — a division
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. track — a song
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. land — to come down
  13. pit — a hole
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. land — ground
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. land — a country
  21. rest — a break
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pit — in a race

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