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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. last — final
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. present — the time now
  9. track — a path
  10. rule — a law
  11. present — there
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. rule — government
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. last — finally
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. squash — to crush
  21. present — a gift
  22. last — to go on
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. track — to keep track

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