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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spell — letters
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. spell — magic
  5. swing — in golf
  6. board — a committee
  7. track — to keep track
  8. spell — a short time
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — of the year
  14. swing — music
  15. board — to get on
  16. track — a song
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. season — in sport
  23. rock — a stone
  24. season — to add flavour

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