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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. track — a path
  3. scale — size or range
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. track — to keep track
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — a leader
  10. track — a song
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. hand — help
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. chest — of your body
  17. hand — in cards
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — hurry
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — for weighing

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