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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. mate — a partner
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. land — ground
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. track — a song
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — to keep track
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mate — to breed
  21. snap — to click
  22. bear — the animal
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. bear — the animal

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