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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kick — in football
  5. track — a path
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. track — a song
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. hand — help
  14. tube — a container
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. stand — to bear
  20. saw — the tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. tube — the underground
  23. date — the fruit
  24. kick — with a leg

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