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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. rash — a series
  4. rash — hasty
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. row — a line
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. track — a song
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. court — for sport
  12. wound — an injury
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. track — a path
  17. court — of a king
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. wound — an injury
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — of law

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