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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. mug — to rob
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. net — for catching
  5. mug — a cup
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. net — in sport
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. track — a song
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. scale — in music
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — after costs
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. track — a path
  18. hand — help
  19. mug — a face
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. scale — size or range
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. hand — in cards

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