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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. suit — in cards
  3. track — a song
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. rule — government
  7. suit — clothes
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. rule — a law
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. shower — rain
  16. track — a path
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. suit — to fit
  23. shower — to wash
  24. track — to keep track

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