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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. snap — to click
  6. last — final
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. last — finally
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. shower — rain
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. last — to go on
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rush — hurry
  24. track — a path

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