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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. row — a line
  5. track — a path
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bass — low music
  11. rock — music
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. cell — in biology
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. bass — the fish
  23. rock — a stone
  24. cell — a phone

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