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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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. stock — a soup base
  4. charge — electricity
  5. shower — to wash
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. track — a path
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. charge — a price
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stock — goods
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. charge — in control
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. stock — shares
  19. mark — a trace
  20. shower — rain
  21. stem — to come from
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. track — a song

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