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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. track — to keep track
  3. key — the most important part
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. roll — a list
  6. track — a song
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. key — for a lock
  9. rest — a break
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ball — a great time
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. roll — a cake
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rest — what's left
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. key — in music
  19. track — a path
  20. rest — what's left
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. date — the fruit

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