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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. march — the month
  3. rock — a stone
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. rock — music
  6. lie — to recline
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. squash — the sport
  9. prune — to trim
  10. prune — to trim
  11. march — the month
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. shower — rain
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mug — to rob
  18. squash — to crush
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mug — a face
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. march — music

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