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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 116 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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. track — a song
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. lean — to bend
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — a position
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. ground — crushed
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. lie — to recline
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. band — a music group
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. band — a ring
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. lean — thin
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. mouse — the animal

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