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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: track · fall · ground · rule · rest · last · dip · spring

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fall — to drop
  5. ground — a position
  6. rule — a law
  7. track — a song
  8. fall — to drop
  9. last — finally
  10. fall — the season
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — what's left
  13. track — a path
  14. ground — crushed
  15. spring — the season
  16. last — final
  17. last — to go on
  18. spring — of water
  19. rule — government
  20. rest — a break
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. spring — a coil
  24. ground — the earth

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