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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. file — a document
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wound — an injury
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. scale — size or range
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. board — to get on
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. file — a tool
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. file — a line of people
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. wound — an injury
  23. scale — in music
  24. board — a committee

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