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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. tear — from crying
  5. track — a song
  6. can — a tin
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chest — of your body
  9. track — a path
  10. pitch — completely
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. bat — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. foot — a measure
  16. court — of a king
  17. chest — of your body
  18. can — a tin
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. court — for sport
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. can — to be able to
  23. chest — a box
  24. court — of law

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