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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. branch — a division
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — hurry
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. chest — of your body
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a dance
  15. chest — of your body
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. chest — a box
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hide — to keep secret

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