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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bay · rule · shower · track · toast · cold · net · swing

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. track — to keep track
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. net — for catching
  7. swing — music
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. rule — government
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. track — a path
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cold — an illness
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. rule — a law
  16. cold — not warm
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — after costs
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. shower — rain
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. swing — to play on
  23. toast — bread
  24. swing — in golf

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