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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. track — a path
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. current — happening now
  8. chest — of your body
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. game — a match
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. track — to keep track
  14. band — a music group
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. band — a ring
  17. current — of water
  18. chest — of your body
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. current — electric
  21. cell — in biology
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. cell — a phone
  24. chest — a box

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