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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — a box
  4. bat — the animal
  5. degree — temperature
  6. game — a match
  7. chest — of your body
  8. track — a song
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. degree — from a university
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. pit — a hole
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. degree — an amount
  20. track — to keep track
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. track — a path
  24. wind — moving air

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