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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. track — a path
  4. cell — a phone
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cell — in biology
  10. pit — in a race
  11. plane — a tool
  12. kid — to tease
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. kid — child
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. track — a song
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. rest — a break
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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