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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mark — a trace
  3. track — a path
  4. rule — a law
  5. rule — government
  6. ball — a great time
  7. band — a music group
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. band — a ring
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. drill — army training
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. sharp — clever
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. drill — a practice

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