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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. last — final
  5. ball — a great time
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. hand — in cards
  8. last — finally
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. prune — to trim
  11. last — to go on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. track — to keep track
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. track — a song
  17. kick — in football
  18. hand — help
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. mine — for digging
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. ball — a dance
  24. prune — to trim

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