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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. land — to come down
  3. track — a song
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. deal — to handle
  6. rock — a stone
  7. track — to keep track
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. press — newspapers
  10. foot — a measure
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. shower — to wash
  15. land — ground
  16. press — a publisher
  17. land — a country
  18. rock — music
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. press — to push
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. shower — rain

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