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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a path
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rest — a break
  9. bound — certain
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. pop — music
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rock — music
  14. pop — soda
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rock — a stone
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. season — in sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. track — a song
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. season — of the year

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