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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. kid — child
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. suit — in cards
  7. suit — clothes
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mate — to breed
  10. kid — to tease
  11. land — a country
  12. hand — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. land — ground
  15. land — to come down
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. track — a song
  19. mate — a friend
  20. hand — help
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mate — a partner
  23. track — a path
  24. key — in music

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