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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. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chip — to eat
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. swing — in golf
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. mark — a grade
  7. track — a song
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. swing — to play on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. mate — a partner
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mate — to breed
  15. chip — for betting
  16. mark — a trace
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. stem — to come from
  19. track — a path
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. chair — a leader
  24. swing — music

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