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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.

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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mate — a friend
  4. rock — a stone
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. mate — a partner
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mate — to breed
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. track — a song
  18. rock — music

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