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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bass — the fish
  3. track — a path
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. spell — magic
  6. snap — to click
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. spell — letters
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. lie — to recline
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. stem — to come from
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. bass — low music
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. track — a song
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. spell — a short time
  24. vault — a safe

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