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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cap — of ice
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fine — high quality
  11. cap — a hat
  12. track — a path
  13. wake — a trail
  14. charge — electricity
  15. cap — a lid
  16. drill — the tool
  17. track — a song
  18. charge — a price
  19. wound — an injury
  20. charge — in control
  21. branch — a division
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fine — all right
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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