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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. present — there
  4. present — a gift
  5. wound — an injury
  6. track — to keep track
  7. can — a tin
  8. can — a tin
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mine — for digging
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. present — the time now
  19. track — a song
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chair — a leader
  24. can — to be able to

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