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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 120 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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. track — a song
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chest — of your body
  5. vault — a safe
  6. chest — a box
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. scale — size or range
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bark — to shout
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — in music
  22. track — to keep track
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. track — a path

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