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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tear — to rip
  3. court — of law
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. spell — a short time
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. mate — to breed
  9. spell — letters
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tear — from crying
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. court — of a king
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. scale — in music
  17. tear — from crying
  18. track — a path
  19. court — for sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. track — a song
  22. scale — size or range
  23. spell — magic
  24. wind — moving air

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