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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. season — of the year
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. track — a song
  5. band — a music group
  6. bound — tied together
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. foot — a measure
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. board — to get on
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. band — a ring
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. track — a path
  21. board — a committee
  22. bound — obliged
  23. season — in sport
  24. bound — certain

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