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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 116 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. track — a path
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fall — the season
  5. mug — a cup
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. track — to keep track
  9. club — a group
  10. track — a song
  11. mark — a grade
  12. fall — to drop
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mug — a face
  17. press — to push
  18. rule — government
  19. mug — to rob
  20. press — newspapers
  21. club — for golf
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. press — a publisher

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