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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. track — a path
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rash — a series
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. foot — a measure
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rash — hasty
  16. row — to paddle
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — rain
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. track — a song
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. row — a line

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