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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. track — to keep track
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. deal — to handle
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. track — a path
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — not warm
  10. track — a song
  11. capital — a city
  12. prune — to trim
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. capital — money
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cold — an illness
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. mark — to pay attention

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