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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. snap — to click
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. spell — magic
  8. kid — child
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. pass — a permit
  11. staff — a stick
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spell — letters
  20. track — a path
  21. staff — employees
  22. track — a song
  23. spell — a short time
  24. staff — employees

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