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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  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. coach — a trainer
  3. row — to paddle
  4. track — a song
  5. mate — to breed
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. stock — shares
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mate — a friend
  19. row — a line
  20. mate — a partner
  21. clip — a video
  22. chip — to eat
  23. clip — for paper
  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