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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. suit — to fit
  3. chest — a box
  4. chest — of your body
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chest — of your body
  8. drill — army training
  9. suit — in cards
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. drill — the tool
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. cell — in biology
  15. suit — clothes
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. drill — a practice
  18. track — to keep track
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — music
  21. track — a path
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. dip — to sink

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