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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pit — in a race
  3. row — a line
  4. track — to keep track
  5. key — in music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. track — a path
  8. key — for a lock
  9. band — a music group
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — part of the head
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. track — a song
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rash — a series
  19. face — to confront
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. pit — a hole
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. band — a ring

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