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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. shower — rain
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. shower — to wash
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. net — in sport
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. track — a song
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. track — a path
  17. net — for catching
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. hand — in cards
  21. lie — to recline
  22. stand — to bear
  23. net — after costs
  24. hand — help

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