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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. track — a song
  3. land — a country
  4. track — a path
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. land — to come down
  7. track — to keep track
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pop — soda
  12. land — ground
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. swing — in golf
  17. sharp — clever
  18. swing — music

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