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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. object — an aim
  4. last — finally
  5. pop — music
  6. track — a path
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. last — to go on
  10. snap — to click
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. hand — in cards
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. last — final
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hand — help
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — a sports field

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