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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rash — hasty
  3. cell — in biology
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. track — a song
  9. spring — a coil
  10. rash — a series
  11. staff — employees
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. sharp — clever
  16. spring — the season
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cell — a phone
  20. track — a path
  21. spring — of water
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. staff — employees

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