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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. season — of the year
  3. club — for dancing
  4. track — a path
  5. track — a song
  6. club — a group
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. spring — of water
  9. club — for golf
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. press — newspapers
  13. spring — the season
  14. press — to push
  15. spring — a coil
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. season — in sport
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. press — a publisher
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. patient — a sick person

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