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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — a series
  5. track — a path
  6. chest — of your body
  7. last — final
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chest — a box
  12. track — to keep track
  13. last — to go on
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chest — of your body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. track — a song
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mark — a grade
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. arm — a part of something

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