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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bear — the animal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. can — a tin
  10. kid — to tease
  11. track — a path
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. track — a song
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — child
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bear — the animal
  23. can — to be able to
  24. bound — obliged

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