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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. track — a song
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bass — low music
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bass — the fish
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — army training
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. suit — clothes
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. deal — to handle
  18. snap — to click
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. kid — child
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. drill — the tool

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