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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rock — a stone
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. court — of law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — the season
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. court — for sport
  11. bear — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. rock — music
  14. court — of a king
  15. track — a song
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. hand — help
  20. hand — in cards
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. mark — a trace
  23. mark — a grade
  24. spring — of water

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