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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. track — a path
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. court — for sport
  7. deal — to handle
  8. row — a line
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a tool
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. row — to paddle
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. suit — to fit
  18. track — a song
  19. suit — in cards
  20. suit — clothes
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. temple — side of the head

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