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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. track — a song
  6. ground — crushed
  7. drill — the tool
  8. net — in sport
  9. drill — army training
  10. net — after costs
  11. ground — a position
  12. ground — the earth
  13. net — for catching
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. mate — to breed
  21. drill — a practice
  22. track — a path
  23. mate — a partner
  24. lash — to lash out

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