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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. net — for catching
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mark — a trace
  11. net — in sport
  12. mark — a grade
  13. vault — a safe
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. net — after costs
  18. track — a path
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chip — to eat
  22. season — in sport
  23. track — a song
  24. season — of the year

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