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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. net — after costs
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pound — a weight
  11. spell — magic
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. track — to keep track
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cold — an illness
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — a short time
  20. net — in sport
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. net — for catching
  23. track — a song
  24. ball — a great time

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