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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. object — an aim
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. object — to protest
  7. track — a path
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. fork — in a road
  11. track — a song
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. hand — help
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stem — to come from
  16. wake — a trail
  17. season — in sport
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. object — a thing
  20. season — of the year
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stem — a stem cell

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