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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. scale — in music
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. track — a path
  6. game — wild animals
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. scale — size or range
  11. suit — clothes
  12. suit — to fit
  13. stem — to come from
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. game — a match
  20. track — a song
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. suit — in cards
  24. racket — for tennis

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