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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. object — to protest
  5. staff — employees
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — a coil
  10. staff — a stick
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. bound — certain
  13. staff — employees
  14. bound — obliged
  15. object — a thing
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. track — a song
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. object — an aim
  23. bound — tied together
  24. net — after costs

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