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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. board — to get on
  4. cap — a lid
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rest — what's left
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rest — a break
  9. ball — a great time
  10. board — a committee
  11. shower — rain
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. shower — to wash
  14. swing — to play on
  15. cap — of ice
  16. track — a path
  17. swing — music
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rest — what's left
  23. swing — in golf
  24. track — a song

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