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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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. rush — to hurry
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. ball — a great time
  9. track — a path
  10. rush — hurry
  11. ball — a dance
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. court — for sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. court — of a king
  19. stand — to bear
  20. track — a song
  21. band — a ring
  22. band — a music group
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. court — of law

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