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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cell — a phone
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. dip — to sink
  7. ground — crushed
  8. game — a match
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. rule — government
  11. cell — in biology
  12. face — to confront
  13. face — to point toward
  14. track — a song
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pit — in a race
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. ground — a position
  20. ground — the earth
  21. track — a path
  22. face — part of the head
  23. pit — a hole
  24. rule — a law

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