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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. court — of law
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. degree — temperature
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. land — ground
  8. game — a match
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. land — to come down
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — of a king
  13. court — for sport
  14. degree — an amount
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. track — a song
  17. stem — to come from
  18. game — wild animals
  19. track — a path
  20. degree — from a university
  21. suit — in cards
  22. land — a country
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. stem — of a plant

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