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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. track — a song
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. track — a path
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. degree — an amount

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