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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fine — high quality
  3. game — a match
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. kid — to tease
  7. squash — the sport
  8. kid — child
  9. track — a song
  10. fine — all right
  11. squash — to crush
  12. game — wild animals
  13. court — of law
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. court — of a king
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. track — to keep track
  19. court — for sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  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