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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mug — a face
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. spell — letters
  7. season — in sport
  8. track — a path
  9. season — of the year
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. spell — a short time
  12. rush — hurry
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. mug — a cup
  15. track — a song
  16. mug — to rob
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. spell — magic

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