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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a song
  6. file — a document
  7. season — in sport
  8. rash — a series
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. file — a line of people
  12. rash — hasty
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. file — a tool
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. season — of the year
  19. last — final
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. last — to go on
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. last — finally
  24. ruler — for measuring

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