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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. land — ground
  4. mate — to breed
  5. bank — for money
  6. track — to keep track
  7. land — to come down
  8. land — a country
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mate — a partner
  11. bank — of a river
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bank — for money
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cold — an illness
  17. deal — to handle
  18. drill — army training
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. track — a path
  23. mate — a friend
  24. deal — a big deal

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