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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mate — a friend
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cue — for pool
  5. kid — child
  6. cue — a signal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. track — to keep track
  9. spring — of water
  10. track — a path
  11. track — a song
  12. mug — a face
  13. can — a tin
  14. cue — a hint
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mug — to rob
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mate — to breed
  20. can — to be able to
  21. file — a tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. mate — a partner
  24. spring — the season

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