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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. can — a tin
  3. track — a path
  4. board — to get on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. court — for sport
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — of law
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. deal — to handle
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. track — a song
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. board — a committee
  20. can — to be able to
  21. wind — moving air
  22. court — of a king
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. mine — for digging

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