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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. kick — in football
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. row — a line
  5. ball — a dance
  6. key — the most important part
  7. drill — a practice
  8. track — a song
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. key — in music
  12. drill — the tool
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ball — a great time
  16. track — a path
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. face — to confront
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. wake — a trail
  24. drill — army training

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