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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. season — of the year
  5. tube — a container
  6. track — to keep track
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. track — a song
  9. prune — to trim
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. prune — to trim
  12. tube — the underground
  13. deal — to handle
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. season — in sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a great time
  24. temple — a place of worship

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