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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. season — in sport
  4. bass — the fish
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. dip — to sink
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. track — a song
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. row — a line
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. club — for dancing
  15. season — of the year
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. club — a group
  18. vault — a safe
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. row — to paddle
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bass — low music
  23. club — for golf
  24. racket — a loud noise

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