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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pit — a hole
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. capital — a city
  6. drill — the tool
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pit — in a race
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. drill — a practice
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. track — a song
  14. capital — money
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. track — a path
  17. drill — army training
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. chair — a leader
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. jam — in traffic

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