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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mark — a grade
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rule — a law
  5. season — of the year
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rest — what's left
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rest — a break
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. track — a path
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. track — a song
  16. rule — government
  17. rest — what's left
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. season — in sport
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mark — a trace
  22. deal — to handle
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. wave — of the sea

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