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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. hand — help
  3. charge — a price
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. track — a song
  7. kid — child
  8. track — to keep track
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. hand — in cards
  12. current — happening now
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. charge — in control
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. current — of water
  18. current — electric
  19. charge — electricity
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. track — a path
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. nail — for a hammer

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