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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pop — music
  4. track — a path
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. track — to keep track
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. season — in sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kid — child
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pop — soda
  15. season — of the year
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. pop — to visit
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — the underground
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. track — a song
  22. mark — a trace
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kid — to tease

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