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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. object — to protest
  3. tear — to rip
  4. squash — to crush
  5. roll — a list
  6. object — a thing
  7. mug — a face
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. object — an aim
  10. track — a path
  11. cold — not warm
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. mug — to rob
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. track — a song
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cold — an illness
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. tear — from crying
  23. mug — a cup
  24. roll — a cake

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