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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cold — not warm
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. rest — what's left
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cold — an illness
  12. toast — bread
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. fall — to drop
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. rest — a break
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. date — the fruit
  21. track — a path
  22. track — to keep track
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. date — on the calendar

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