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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a path
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. staff — employees
  7. mine — for digging
  8. spell — a short time
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. spell — letters
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. track — a song
  16. suit — to fit
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. ground — crushed
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. spell — magic

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