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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rest — a break
  3. track — to keep track
  4. can — a tin
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. can — a tin
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bat — the animal
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. rest — what's left
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. wake — a trail
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. craft — a skill
  19. can — to be able to
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. track — a path
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. craft — boats

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