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

Word bank: ruler · tube · chest · toast · object · bat · wake · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a path
  3. object — a thing
  4. chest — of your body
  5. wake — a trail
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. tube — a container
  8. chest — a box
  9. object — to protest
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. toast — bread
  14. track — a song
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. chest — of your body
  18. object — an aim
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. tube — the underground
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bat — the animal

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