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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. squash — to crush
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. branch — a division
  5. squash — the sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. capital — a city
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. pound — a weight
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. capital — money
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. deal — to handle
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. track — a song
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. track — a path

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