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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 120 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bass — low music
  5. pit — in a race
  6. last — final
  7. band — a music group
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rest — a break
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. last — finally
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. last — to go on
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a ring
  22. track — a song
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. track — to keep track

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