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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rash — hasty
  3. squash — to crush
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. rash — a series
  10. bound — obliged
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rest — a break
  13. bank — for money
  14. bank — of a river
  15. squash — the sport
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bank — for money
  24. bound — certain

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