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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. club — for golf
  4. bank — of a river
  5. wind — moving air
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. wind — moving air
  10. face — to confront
  11. track — a song
  12. dip — to sink
  13. march — the month
  14. club — for dancing
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. march — music
  17. can — to be able to
  18. club — a group
  19. bank — for money
  20. can — a tin
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. march — the month
  23. bank — for money
  24. can — a tin

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