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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stand — to bear
  3. march — the month
  4. court — of law
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — the tool
  7. court — for sport
  8. game — wild animals
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. saw — the tool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. court — of a king
  15. game — a match
  16. track — a path
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. track — to keep track
  23. object — a thing
  24. march — music

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