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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cold — not warm
  4. pitch — completely
  5. cap — of ice
  6. swing — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cold — an illness
  10. swing — to play on
  11. track — a song
  12. cap — a hat
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. track — a path
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. mate — a friend
  20. cap — a lid
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. mate — to breed
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. swing — in golf

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