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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. cell — in biology
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. track — to keep track
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. lean — to bend
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — to paddle
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. mine — for digging
  21. track — a song
  22. row — a line
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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