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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. track — to keep track
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. fall — to drop
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. court — of law
  8. chip — for betting
  9. court — for sport
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. track — a path
  12. bear — the animal
  13. track — a song
  14. chip — to eat
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. band — a music group
  17. fall — the season
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bear — the animal
  21. court — of a king
  22. fall — to drop
  23. band — a ring
  24. sharp — clever

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