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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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. squash — the sport
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. track — a path
  5. row — to paddle
  6. net — for catching
  7. track — to keep track
  8. net — after costs
  9. content — happy
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. content — the amount
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — music
  14. band — a music group
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. track — a song
  18. squash — to crush
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a ring
  22. net — in sport
  23. march — the month
  24. band — a rubber band

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