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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. can — to be able to
  3. hand — help
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kid — to tease
  8. saw — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. field — for sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — a subject
  16. kid — child
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. saw — the tool
  19. field — farmland
  20. track — a path
  21. hand — in cards
  22. track — a song
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mate — a friend

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