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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pop — soda
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. track — a song
  10. kid — to tease
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bank — for money
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pop — to visit
  16. bank — for money
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. track — a path
  19. pop — music
  20. shower — rain
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bank — of a river
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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