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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. net — for catching
  3. march — the month
  4. track — a song
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. scale — in music
  8. band — a music group
  9. scale — size or range
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wake — a trail
  12. lean — to bend
  13. net — in sport
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. band — a ring
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. track — to keep track
  18. net — after costs
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. march — music
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. march — the month

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