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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kick — in football
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. track — a song
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. track — to keep track
  14. bass — low music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. kid — child
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. pass — a permit
  19. bass — the fish
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. track — a path
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. trunk — of a car

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