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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. track — a song
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rule — government
  12. track — a path
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ball — a dance
  15. rule — a law
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. snap — to click
  20. cap — a lid
  21. fork — in a road
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. cap — of ice
  24. ball — a great time

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