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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's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stand — to bear
  4. toast — bread
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. pop — soda
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. face — to point toward
  11. swing — in golf
  12. track — a song
  13. pop — music
  14. swing — to play on
  15. face — part of the head
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. face — to confront
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. track — to keep track
  24. swing — music

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