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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. track — a song
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. kid — to tease
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. track — a path
  9. spring — a coil
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kid — child
  12. charge — electricity
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — the season
  15. file — a line of people
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. can — to be able to
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. file — a document
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. spring — of water
  24. can — a tin

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