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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · temple · track · sharp · bore · snap · foot · row

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fall — to drop
  3. snap — to click
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. row — to paddle
  6. track — a path
  7. fall — to drop
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. fall — the season
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. row — a line
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. bore — to drill
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — to keep track
  24. bore — to tire

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