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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. track — a path
  3. last — final
  4. chip — for betting
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. last — finally
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. chip — to eat
  11. lean — to bend
  12. pop — to visit
  13. shower — rain
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — to keep track
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. shower — to wash
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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