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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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. ball — a round shape
  4. bear — the animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — for betting
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. press — newspapers
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. cold — not warm
  15. ball — a great time
  16. press — to push
  17. charge — a price
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. charge — electricity
  20. charge — in control
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bear — the animal
  23. track — a song
  24. cold — the Cold War

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