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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 120 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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. march — the month
  6. mine — for digging
  7. march — music
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. rest — a break
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. track — a song
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. track — a path
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. court — of a king
  20. pitch — completely
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. march — the month
  24. straw — dry grass

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