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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. stem — to come from
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ground — the earth
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. last — finally
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. bear — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. chair — a leader
  16. track — a path
  17. last — final
  18. ground — a position
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. track — a song
  21. ground — crushed
  22. saw — the tool
  23. last — to go on
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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