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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 124 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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. chest — of your body
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. chest — a box
  5. track — to keep track
  6. chest — of your body
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bulb — for light
  9. track — a path
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. can — a tin
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. rush — hurry

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