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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. march — the month
  3. stock — shares
  4. land — to come down
  5. march — music
  6. deal — to handle
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. march — the month
  10. pass — a permit
  11. track — a path
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. land — ground
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. stock — goods
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. track — a song

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