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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — for dancing
  5. firm — decided
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bass — the fish
  9. net — in sport
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. club — for golf
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. club — a group
  15. net — for catching
  16. bass — low music
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — a company
  19. tear — from crying
  20. track — a song
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. track — a path
  23. tear — to rip
  24. date — the fruit

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