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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. lie — to recline
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — to visit
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. press — to push
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. snap — to click
  13. press — newspapers
  14. track — a path
  15. bear — the animal
  16. track — a song
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bear — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pop — music

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