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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. pop — music
  5. fine — all right
  6. cold — not warm
  7. toast — bread
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. saw — the tool
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cold — an illness
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. pop — soda
  17. saw — the tool
  18. track — a song
  19. track — a path
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. branch — a division
  22. track — to keep track
  23. pop — to visit
  24. jam — in traffic

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