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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. present — there
  9. net — for catching
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. present — a gift
  14. cold — an illness
  15. net — after costs
  16. hand — help
  17. craft — a skill
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. present — the time now
  21. craft — boats
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. net — in sport
  24. cold — not warm

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