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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. row — to paddle
  5. track — a path
  6. mark — a trace
  7. fine — high quality
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fine — all right
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. track — a song
  13. row — a line
  14. scale — in music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. wake — a trail
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mark — a grade
  22. kick — in football
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. track — to keep track

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