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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. track — a song
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chest — of your body
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. track — a path
  11. ground — the earth
  12. toast — bread
  13. ground — crushed
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lean — to bend
  17. ground — a position
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fork — in a road
  20. chest — a box
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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