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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — a song
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. lie — to recline
  5. track — to keep track
  6. sharp — clever
  7. track — a path
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. season — in sport
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bear — the animal
  12. season — of the year
  13. vault — a safe
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. drill — army training
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. drill — a practice
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bear — the animal
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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