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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. track — to keep track
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rest — a break
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. drill — the tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — what's left
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. track — a song
  14. drill — a practice
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. track — a path
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. drill — army training
  21. court — for sport
  22. clip — a video
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. leaves — lets stay

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