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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ball — a great time
  4. track — a song
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. track — a path
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. charge — a price
  14. wound — an injury
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. charge — electricity
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. charge — in control
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — a straw man

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