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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. track — a song
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. last — to go on
  5. track — to keep track
  6. swing — in golf
  7. last — final
  8. game — a match
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. track — a path
  11. suit — to fit
  12. bore — to tire
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bore — to drill
  15. tear — from crying
  16. swing — to play on
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. last — finally
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. suit — in cards
  23. swing — music
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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