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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. track — a path
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. ball — a dance
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. roll — a cake
  7. track — a song
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. spring — a coil
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. spring — of water
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. ball — a great time
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. track — to keep track
  21. spring — the season
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. dip — to sink
  24. fork — in a road

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