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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 116 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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. track — a path
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. saw — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. fork — in a road
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. drill — army training
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. saw — the tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. track — a song
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. drill — the tool
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cell — in biology

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