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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rest — what's left
  4. track — a path
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. mug — a cup
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rest — what's left
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. season — of the year
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. tear — to rip
  13. track — a song
  14. mug — to rob
  15. season — in sport
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mug — a face
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. spring — of water
  21. rest — a break
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. spring — the season
  24. patient — a sick person

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