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

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mug — to rob
  3. last — final
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. kid — to tease
  6. track — a path
  7. last — to go on
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mug — a cup
  11. track — a song
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. mug — a face
  17. last — finally
  18. jam — to spread on bread

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