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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cell — a phone
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. rush — hurry
  11. track — a song
  12. capital — a city
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. capital — money
  21. vault — a safe
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. track — a path

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