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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. track — to keep track
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. court — of a king
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — wild animals
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. court — of law
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rash — hasty
  13. rash — a series
  14. track — a path
  15. game — a match
  16. court — for sport
  17. track — a song
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. hide — to keep secret

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