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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 120 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pop — to visit
  4. wake — a trail
  5. file — a tool
  6. face — to point toward
  7. stock — goods
  8. face — part of the head
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. file — a line of people
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. track — to keep track
  13. face — to confront
  14. pop — soda
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. file — a document
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pop — music
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. stock — shares
  22. season — in sport
  23. track — a song
  24. season — of the year

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