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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. last — to go on
  4. track — to keep track
  5. last — finally
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rush — hurry
  10. track — a path
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. prune — to trim
  13. staff — employees
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. staff — a stick
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. prune — to trim
  24. last — final

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