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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. shower — rain
  3. staff — employees
  4. last — finally
  5. last — final
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. track — a song
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kick — in football
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. shower — to wash
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. last — to go on
  17. staff — employees
  18. track — a path
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. staff — a stick
  21. wake — a trail
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — a thrill

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