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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. file — a tool
  3. track — to keep track
  4. cue — for pool
  5. cue — a signal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. chip — to eat
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. cue — a hint
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bat — the animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. file — a line of people
  20. chip — for betting
  21. track — a path
  22. kid — child
  23. file — a document
  24. stand — to bear

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