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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. court — of a king
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. court — for sport
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. pound — a weight
  11. roll — a list
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. track — a song
  16. track — a path
  17. roll — a cake
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. stock — goods
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. court — of law
  22. stock — shares
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. sharp — exactly

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