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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. club — for dancing
  3. track — to keep track
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. club — a group
  7. craft — boats
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. cap — of ice
  11. track — a path
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. track — a song
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. craft — a skill
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — a lid
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. club — for golf
  22. game — a match
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. chair — a leader

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