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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. track — to keep track
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. can — a tin
  8. mate — to breed
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. track — a song
  11. cue — a hint
  12. cue — for pool
  13. branch — a division
  14. mate — a friend
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. track — a path
  18. land — ground
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. can — a tin
  22. cue — a signal
  23. drill — the tool
  24. mate — a partner

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