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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. kick — in football
  3. track — to keep track
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. shower — rain
  11. foot — a measure
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. shower — to wash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. track — a path
  16. row — a line
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. row — to paddle
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. lash — an eyelash

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