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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. track — a path
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kid — child
  9. ground — the earth
  10. deal — to handle
  11. kid — to tease
  12. track — a song
  13. ground — a position
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. lie — to recline
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. dip — to sink
  21. court — of law
  22. track — to keep track
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. rash — on the skin

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