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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 116 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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. track — a path
  3. track — to keep track
  4. charge — electricity
  5. track — a song
  6. squash — to crush
  7. rest — a break
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. stand — to bear
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. squash — the sport
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. spring — the season
  20. charge — a price
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. charge — in control

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