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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. march — the month
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — music
  6. game — a match
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — the sport
  10. track — a path
  11. pass — a permit
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. season — in sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. track — a song
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. season — of the year
  19. mark — a trace
  20. march — the month
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mark — a grade
  24. lie — to recline

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