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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  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 — a song
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — employees
  4. staff — employees
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. wake — a trail
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. can — a tin
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. track — a path
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. can — to be able to
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. march — the month
  20. staff — a stick
  21. march — the month
  22. track — to keep track
  23. racket — a loud noise
  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