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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rule — a law
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. bat — the animal
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rule — government
  12. object — a thing
  13. track — a song
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. ball — a dance
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. object — an aim
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. net — after costs
  21. sharp — clever
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rule — to rule out

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