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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. chest — a box
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. ball — a dance
  6. file — a tool
  7. chest — of your body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chest — of your body
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pop — music
  14. branch — a division
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a document
  17. track — a path
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. ball — a great time
  22. pop — soda
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pop — to visit

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