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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. last — finally
  5. rest — what's left
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. rash — a series
  9. bass — low music
  10. track — a path
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bass — the fish
  15. last — final
  16. track — a song
  17. bulb — for light
  18. game — a match
  19. rash — hasty
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — to go on
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — a break
  24. cue — a hint

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