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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. drill — the tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. track — a path
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. court — of law
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. drill — a practice
  10. current — of water
  11. current — happening now
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. sharp — clever
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — a trail
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — a song
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. drill — army training
  24. current — electric

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