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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. game — a match
  5. can — to be able to
  6. march — the month
  7. saw — the tool
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. track — a path
  11. lie — to recline
  12. march — the month
  13. saw — the tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. can — a tin
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. chest — a box
  18. present — there
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. can — a tin
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. march — music
  23. track — a song
  24. game — wild animals

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