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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — hasty
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kid — child
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. file — a line of people
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. file — a tool
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. track — a path
  14. saw — the tool
  15. squash — to crush
  16. file — a document
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. perch — the fish
  19. saw — the tool
  20. track — to keep track
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. track — a song
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kick — in football

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