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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · row · ground · kick · arm · track · mouse · rush

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. kick — in football
  5. row — a line
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ground — a position
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. ground — crushed
  19. track — a path
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. row — to paddle

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