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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cell — in biology
  4. kick — in football
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. degree — temperature
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kid — child
  12. track — a path
  13. deal — to handle
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. kid — to tease
  16. degree — from a university
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. track — to keep track
  21. degree — an amount
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. cell — a phone

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