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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. game — wild animals
  4. mine — for digging
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. tear — to rip
  7. tear — from crying
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. suit — to fit
  10. wake — a trail
  11. track — a path
  12. tear — from crying
  13. pop — to visit
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pop — soda
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. pop — music
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. suit — clothes
  23. track — a song
  24. game — a match

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