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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. kid — child
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kick — in football
  5. track — to keep track
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lean — to bend
  10. track — a song
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. spell — letters
  13. wound — an injury
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mug — a face
  17. track — a path
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. spell — magic

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