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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. track — a path
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. mate — a friend
  5. board — a committee
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a partner
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. track — to keep track
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. board — to get on
  12. track — a song
  13. tube — the underground
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. root — of a plant
  17. tube — a container
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. root — of a word
  21. root — the cause
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. kid — child

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