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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mark — a trace
  3. present — a gift
  4. track — a song
  5. present — there
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. track — a path
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. cold — an illness
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mark — a grade
  18. track — to keep track
  19. prune — to trim
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. bass — low music

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