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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bank — for money
  3. mug — a face
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. track — a path
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bulb — for light
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kid — child
  12. bulb — for light
  13. track — a song
  14. bat — the animal
  15. file — a document
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bank — for money
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. mug — to rob
  24. foot — a measure

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