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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 116 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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. track — to keep track
  4. drill — army training
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cue — a signal
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pit — in a race
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cue — a hint
  16. mark — a grade
  17. drill — the tool
  18. track — a song
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. cue — for pool
  21. chip — to eat
  22. ball — a dance
  23. track — a path
  24. chip — for betting

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