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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mate — a friend
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bound — obliged
  5. bound — certain
  6. track — a path
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bound — tied together
  9. last — finally
  10. mate — to breed
  11. last — final
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. tear — to rip
  19. tear — from crying
  20. press — to push
  21. last — to go on
  22. track — to keep track
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mine — an explosive

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