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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — a path
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. present — there
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mate — to breed
  10. row — to paddle
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. scale — size or range
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. present — the time now
  16. mate — a friend
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. present — a gift
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. row — a line
  22. scale — in music
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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