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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. track — to keep track
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. pop — soda
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pop — music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. track — a song
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mate — a friend
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. track — a path
  24. pop — to visit

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