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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 124 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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 path
  3. hand — in cards
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rash — a series
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pitch — completely
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. hand — help
  15. fall — the season
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. fall — to drop
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. track — a song
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fall — to drop

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