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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. last — final
  4. net — in sport
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. row — a line
  8. net — after costs
  9. track — a path
  10. rash — a series
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. row — to paddle
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rash — hasty
  16. fall — the season
  17. fall — to drop
  18. last — to go on
  19. track — a song
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. last — finally
  22. fall — to drop
  23. net — for catching
  24. arm — part of the body

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