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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — to fit
  5. scale — in music
  6. suit — clothes
  7. last — to go on
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. last — finally
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. scale — size or range
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — the animal
  14. last — final
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. track — a song
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. staff — a stick
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. track — a path
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. staff — employees
  24. bat — in an idiom

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