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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mug — a cup
  9. squash — the sport
  10. row — to paddle
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. row — a line
  13. squash — to crush
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. track — a song
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. track — to keep track
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — a division
  24. row — a quarrel

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