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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. track — to keep track
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. track — a path
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — an injury
  11. net — for catching
  12. row — to paddle
  13. branch — a division
  14. bass — low music
  15. cue — a hint
  16. net — in sport
  17. cue — a signal
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cue — for pool
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bass — the fish
  23. net — after costs
  24. track — a song

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