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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rash — a series
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. saw — the tool
  7. root — the cause
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. track — a path
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. track — to keep track
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. root — of a plant
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — child
  21. root — of a word
  22. rash — hasty
  23. season — in sport
  24. ball — a great time

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