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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rest — a break
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. last — to go on
  8. last — finally
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. drill — a practice
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. track — a path
  13. rest — what's left
  14. drill — army training
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. prune — to trim
  17. last — final
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — a song
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. patient — a sick person

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