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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. rash — hasty
  3. track — a path
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bear — the animal
  7. degree — an amount
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. track — a song
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. pitch — completely
  12. degree — temperature
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. chest — a box
  21. track — to keep track
  22. chest — of your body
  23. degree — from a university
  24. rash — a series

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