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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. track — to keep track
  3. track — a path
  4. bear — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. band — a music group
  11. firm — a company
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chest — a box
  16. firm — steady
  17. degree — temperature
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. track — a song
  24. band — a ring

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