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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. chest — of your body
  5. track — a path
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. track — to keep track
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kid — child
  10. shower — rain
  11. chest — of your body
  12. shower — to wash
  13. rush — hurry
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — the earth
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ground — a position
  19. deal — to handle
  20. chest — a box
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. track — a song
  24. kid — to tease

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