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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mate — to breed
  3. tear — from crying
  4. mark — a grade
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tear — from crying
  7. mate — a friend
  8. pop — soda
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — of a king
  11. track — a song
  12. face — to point toward
  13. track — a path
  14. current — happening now
  15. court — of law
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pop — music
  19. face — part of the head
  20. court — for sport
  21. current — of water
  22. mark — a trace
  23. pop — to visit
  24. current — electric

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