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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. press — to push
  3. track — a song
  4. court — of law
  5. row — a line
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. press — newspapers
  9. shower — to wash
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. shower — rain
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. court — for sport
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. row — to paddle
  16. court — of a king
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. track — a path
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — bread
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. bowl — a football final

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