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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. drill — a practice
  7. track — a song
  8. mine — for digging
  9. suit — to fit
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. game — a match
  13. drill — the tool
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. drill — army training
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. suit — in cards
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. track — a path
  24. suit — clothes

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