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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. board — a committee
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. rash — hasty
  11. board — to get on
  12. track — a path
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. kid — child
  19. dip — to sink
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rash — a series
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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