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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. kid — child
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. land — a country
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. track — a song
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. land — to come down
  13. face — to confront
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. face — to point toward
  16. cell — in biology
  17. fork — in a road
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. face — part of the head
  22. land — ground
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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