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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pop — to visit
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bank — for money
  9. last — to go on
  10. pop — soda
  11. file — a tool
  12. track — a song
  13. last — finally
  14. last — final
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. file — a document
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. track — a path
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pop — music
  22. file — a line of people
  23. bank — for money
  24. date — the fruit

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