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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. mark — a trace
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kid — child
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mark — a grade
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. track — a song
  13. wake — a trail
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mate — a partner
  18. track — a path

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