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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ground — a position
  3. rash — hasty
  4. can — a tin
  5. ground — crushed
  6. stock — goods
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. can — to be able to
  10. toast — bread
  11. band — a ring
  12. rash — a series
  13. band — a music group
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. track — a song
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. can — a tin
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. track — to keep track
  24. band — a rubber band

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