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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. foot — a measure
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. cell — in biology
  9. fine — high quality
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rash — a series
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — all right
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cell — a phone
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. snap — to click
  19. dip — to sink
  20. can — a tin
  21. track — a path
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. can — a tin
  24. track — a song

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