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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 120 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. track — a song
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spring — the season
  7. bound — tied together
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. track — a path
  10. degree — from a university
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — part of the head
  13. rule — a law
  14. face — to confront
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ball — a great time
  18. degree — an amount
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bound — obliged
  21. rule — government
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. bound — certain
  24. degree — temperature

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