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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mine — for digging
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. track — a song
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spell — a short time
  8. hand — help
  9. bound — certain
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bound — tied together
  12. bound — obliged
  13. charge — in control
  14. staff — a stick
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. staff — employees
  17. spell — magic
  18. hand — in cards
  19. track — a path
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. spell — letters
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. staff — employees

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