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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. track — to keep track
  6. present — the time now
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. present — a gift
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. squash — to crush
  16. track — a song
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. present — there
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. kid — child
  24. 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