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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: net · track · stand · lean · ball · cold · chest · row

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ball — a dance
  3. track — a path
  4. net — in sport
  5. row — a line
  6. track — to keep track
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — of your body
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. track — a song
  13. cold — not warm
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. row — to paddle
  16. stand — to bear
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. net — for catching
  19. cold — an illness
  20. lean — thin
  21. net — after costs
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. chest — a box
  24. ball — a great time

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