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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. last — final
  3. track — a song
  4. present — a gift
  5. kid — to tease
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. track — a path
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. foot — a measure
  11. charge — in control
  12. court — for sport
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. last — to go on
  15. charge — a price
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. charge — electricity
  18. present — there
  19. kid — child
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. last — finally
  22. present — the time now
  23. track — to keep track
  24. wave — with your hand

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