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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. rest — what's left
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. net — after costs
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. mark — a grade
  7. hand — in cards
  8. track — a path
  9. pop — music
  10. rest — what's left
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. rest — a break
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pop — soda
  17. track — a song
  18. hand — help
  19. net — in sport
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. pop — to visit
  24. net — for catching

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