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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. chest — of your body
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. wake — a trail
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. cell — in biology
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. cell — a phone
  11. sharp — clever
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. chest — of your body
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. track — a song
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. toast — bread
  21. track — a path
  22. chest — a box
  23. deal — to handle
  24. wake — before a funeral

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