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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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Word bank
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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: land · lean · net · track · pop · key · leaves · mate

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. net — after costs
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. net — in sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mate — a friend
  8. land — ground
  9. mate — a partner
  10. key — the most important part
  11. lean — to bend
  12. net — for catching
  13. pop — music
  14. lean — thin
  15. key — for a lock
  16. mate — to breed
  17. land — to come down
  18. key — in music
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. pop — soda
  21. land — a country
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. track — to keep track
  24. track — a song

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