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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. land — to come down
  6. ground — a position
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. rush — hurry
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. ground — crushed
  11. land — a country
  12. ground — the earth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. can — to be able to
  15. roll — a list
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. roll — a cake
  20. can — a tin
  21. land — ground
  22. bore — to tire
  23. can — a tin
  24. ruler — a monarch

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