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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mark — a trace
  5. chip — to eat
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mark — a grade
  9. track — to keep track
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — all right
  12. key — for a lock
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. land — ground
  15. track — a song
  16. land — to come down
  17. squash — the sport
  18. chip — for betting
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. key — the most important part
  21. land — a country
  22. key — in music
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. fine — high quality

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