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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. cap — a hat
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. swing — music
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. rest — a break
  7. court — of law
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. court — for sport
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bore — to drill
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. court — of a king
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cap — of ice
  16. track — a song
  17. bore — to tire
  18. track — a path
  19. cap — a lid
  20. swing — in golf
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rest — what's left
  23. wound — an injury
  24. rest — what's left

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