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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 120 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mate — to breed
  3. track — a path
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pit — a hole
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. track — to keep track
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. mate — a friend
  17. kid — child
  18. mark — a grade
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. track — a song
  22. mate — a partner
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — a trace

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