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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 116 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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pop — to visit
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. land — to come down
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. track — a song
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. club — a group
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. land — a country
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. row — a line
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. row — to paddle
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. club — for dancing
  19. club — for golf
  20. pop — music
  21. track — a path
  22. pop — soda
  23. land — ground
  24. ruler — for measuring

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