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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a song
  5. cap — a hat
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. branch — a division
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fine — high quality
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fine — all right
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mine — for digging
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. stand — to bear
  24. stand — on your feet

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