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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. ball — a great time
  3. track — a path
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rest — a break
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rest — what's left
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. roll — a cake
  12. track — to keep track
  13. roll — a list
  14. press — a publisher
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. track — a song
  17. press — to push
  18. press — newspapers

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