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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. band — a ring
  3. rash — hasty
  4. track — to keep track
  5. pop — music
  6. track — a song
  7. season — in sport
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. track — a path
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. band — a music group
  12. pop — soda
  13. chest — a box
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. chest — of your body
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. chest — of your body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. pop — to visit
  21. season — of the year
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rash — a series

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