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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. row — a line
  4. track — a path
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. cap — a hat
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. track — a song
  12. row — to paddle
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cap — a lid
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bear — to put up with

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