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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. firm — a company
  3. craft — a skill
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. spell — letters
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. firm — steady
  8. stand — to bear
  9. firm — decided
  10. drill — army training
  11. mark — a trace
  12. craft — boats
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. drill — the tool
  17. toast — bread
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mark — a grade
  21. drill — a practice
  22. spell — magic
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stand — for spectators

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