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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pound — a weight
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. track — a path
  6. fall — to drop
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. fine — all right
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. current — electric
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. current — of water
  15. branch — a division
  16. fall — to drop
  17. fall — the season
  18. track — a song
  19. season — in sport
  20. chair — a leader
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. current — happening now
  23. fine — high quality
  24. season — of the year

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