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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. object — to protest
  3. track — to keep track
  4. roll — a list
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. net — after costs
  7. last — to go on
  8. club — a group
  9. object — a thing
  10. roll — a cake
  11. club — for dancing
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — in sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. track — a path
  18. net — for catching
  19. last — final
  20. last — finally
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. club — for golf
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. object — an aim

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