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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. sharp — clever
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. spell — letters
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bass — low music
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. spell — a short time
  15. spell — magic
  16. track — a song
  17. track — a path
  18. chest — of your body
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bass — the fish
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. mark — a trace
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mark — to pay attention

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