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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. vault — a safe
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. board — a committee
  6. track — a song
  7. mine — for digging
  8. cold — an illness
  9. bear — the animal
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. track — a path
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. board — to get on
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. mark — a trace

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