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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. pop — soda
  5. track — to keep track
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. pop — music
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hand — help
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. scale — in music
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pop — to visit
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. net — after costs
  18. scale — size or range
  19. hand — in cards
  20. net — for catching
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. track — a path

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