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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. field — for sport
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. track — a song
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. track — a path
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. stock — goods
  18. kid — to tease
  19. field — farmland
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. stock — shares
  22. rush — hurry
  23. row — a line
  24. temple — side of the head

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