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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 116 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. kid — child
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fine — all right
  5. bat — the animal
  6. club — a group
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. kid — to tease
  12. club — for golf
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. can — a tin
  16. club — for dancing
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. fine — high quality
  19. snap — to click
  20. can — to be able to
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. can — a tin

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