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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. prune — to trim
  3. land — a country
  4. roll — a list
  5. spell — a short time
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spell — magic
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — ground
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. rest — a break
  15. rest — what's left
  16. prune — to trim
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. roll — a cake
  19. rest — what's left
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. spell — letters

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