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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mug — a cup
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. can — a tin
  9. mug — a face
  10. wound — an injury
  11. track — a song
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. kick — in football
  14. track — a path
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mug — to rob
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. wound — an injury
  23. branch — a division
  24. hand — help

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