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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. tube — a container
  4. ground — a position
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. kid — to tease
  7. toast — bread
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. track — a song
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bore — to drill
  19. cue — for pool
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. kid — child
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bore — to tire

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