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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fall — the season
  3. track — a song
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. fall — to drop
  7. file — a tool
  8. fall — to drop
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. pop — soda
  11. chest — of your body
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. chest — a box
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. pop — music
  17. track — to keep track
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. chest — of your body
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. file — a document
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. track — a path

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