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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 120 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. last — final
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. swing — to play on
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. rest — what's left
  9. bound — tied together
  10. track — a path
  11. root — of a plant
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. bear — the animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. track — a song
  19. rest — a break
  20. root — the cause
  21. swing — music
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bear — the animal
  24. root — of a word

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