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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. perch — the fish
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bass — the fish
  10. track — a song
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. tube — a container
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — the animal
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bass — low music
  23. track — a path
  24. perch — for a bird

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