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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. track — to keep track
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lie — to recline
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. row — a line
  8. spell — letters
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. track — a song
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bark — to shout
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. row — to paddle
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rule — a law
  22. rule — government
  23. spell — magic
  24. rule — to rule out

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