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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rest — what's left
  4. foot — a measure
  5. fork — in a road
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rash — a series
  11. rest — a break
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. rush — hurry
  14. track — a song
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rash — hasty
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. hide — animal skin

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