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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mark — a grade
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cap — a lid
  8. track — a song
  9. cap — a hat
  10. track — to keep track
  11. dip — to sink
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rule — government
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. rule — a law
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. pop — soda
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. rash — hasty
  22. rash — a series
  23. pop — music
  24. rule — to rule out

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