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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lean — to bend
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. wind — moving air
  8. lean — thin
  9. saw — the tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. track — a song
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wind — moving air
  19. mug — to rob
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. saw — the tool

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