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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. track — a path
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bound — certain
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bound — tied together
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bound — obliged
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wind — moving air
  16. object — an aim
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. saw — the tool
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. track — to keep track
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kick — a thrill

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