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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. track — a path
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. lie — to recline
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. field — for sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. track — to keep track
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. field — farmland
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. kid — child
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cue — a signal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kid — to tease
  23. field — a subject
  24. wind — moving air

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