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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. track — to keep track
  6. cap — a lid
  7. game — a match
  8. stock — shares
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. track — a song
  12. game — wild animals
  13. track — a path
  14. stock — goods
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. wake — a trail
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cabinet — a cupboard

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