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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 120 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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. lean — thin
  3. season — in sport
  4. track — a path
  5. march — music
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. march — the month
  9. season — of the year
  10. bear — the animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — in sport
  14. bear — the animal
  15. net — after costs
  16. march — the month
  17. lean — to bend
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. track — a song
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. pit — a hole
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. pit — in a race

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