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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 120 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — of law
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. root — of a word
  9. ball — a great time
  10. root — of a plant
  11. bank — of a river
  12. rush — hurry
  13. court — for sport
  14. bank — for money
  15. track — a song
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. root — the cause
  19. ball — a dance
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. bank — for money
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — in biology

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