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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mark — a trace
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bear — the animal
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mate — to breed
  11. track — a path
  12. cold — an illness
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bear — the animal
  18. mark — a grade
  19. cold — not warm
  20. rest — a break
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. date — the fruit
  24. lash — an eyelash

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