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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. cell — in biology
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. track — a song
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. track — a path
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. kid — child
  23. net — after costs
  24. cell — a phone

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