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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. bank — for money
  4. rule — government
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. track — a song
  11. bank — for money
  12. fall — to drop
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. rule — a law
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — clever
  20. bank — of a river
  21. fall — the season
  22. wound — an injury
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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