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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spring — of water
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. track — a path
  6. spring — a coil
  7. ball — a great time
  8. net — after costs
  9. spring — the season
  10. ball — a dance
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. chair — a leader
  16. club — for dancing
  17. club — for golf
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. track — a song
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. net — for catching
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. club — a group

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