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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. stand — for spectators
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. net — for catching
  6. kid — child
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. track — a path
  9. chair — a leader
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. kid — to tease
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. track — to keep track
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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