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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. roll — a list
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. chest — a box
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. cap — a lid
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. track — to keep track
  12. plane — a tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pop — music
  17. track — a path
  18. roll — a cake
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. track — a song
  23. pop — soda
  24. cap — a hat

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