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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. suit — clothes
  3. staff — a stick
  4. sharp — clever
  5. ball — a great time
  6. track — to keep track
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. dip — to sink
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. track — a path
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. staff — employees
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. suit — to fit
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. game — wild animals
  21. track — a song
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. staff — employees
  24. wound — an injury

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