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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. spring — the season
  4. track — to keep track
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. stand — to bear
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. spring — of water
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. track — a song
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. game — wild animals
  21. row — a line
  22. spring — a coil
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. game — a match

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