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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — in cards
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — a subject
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. suit — clothes
  8. field — farmland
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rush — hurry
  11. suit — to fit
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. lie — to recline
  15. field — for sport
  16. suit — in cards
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cell — in biology
  21. track — a path
  22. track — a song
  23. hand — help
  24. track — to keep track

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