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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. kid — child
  5. track — to keep track
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. track — a song
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. foot — a measure
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kid — to tease
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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