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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. lean — to bend
  3. club — a group
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. club — for golf
  6. kid — to tease
  7. track — to keep track
  8. file — a document
  9. track — a song
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. pit — a hole
  12. track — a path
  13. rock — music
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. lean — thin
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. last — finally
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. file — a tool
  22. last — final
  23. club — for dancing
  24. last — to go on

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