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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fall — the season
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spring — of water
  6. track — a path
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. chest — of your body
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. spring — the season
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chest — a box
  17. fall — to drop
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — the fish
  20. spring — a coil
  21. track — a song
  22. foot — a measure
  23. chest — of your body
  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