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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. mine — for digging
  3. kid — child
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. suit — to fit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. suit — clothes
  10. mate — to breed
  11. fall — the season
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. suit — in cards
  14. mate — a friend
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. fall — to drop
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. deal — to handle
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. racket — for tennis

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