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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. march — the month
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. track — a path
  9. track — a song
  10. sharp — clever
  11. march — the month
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. toast — bread
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — a hole
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pit — in a race
  23. branch — a division
  24. march — music

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