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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 124 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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. court — of law
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cold — not warm
  5. court — for sport
  6. track — to keep track
  7. rest — what's left
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. track — a path
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. track — a song
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. court — of a king
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rest — a break
  24. rest — what's left

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