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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. shower — rain
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. fall — to drop
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. kid — to tease
  9. track — a song
  10. shower — to wash
  11. kid — child
  12. fall — to drop
  13. roll — a cake
  14. fine — high quality
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — the season
  17. roll — a list
  18. fine — all right
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chair — a leader
  23. saw — the tool
  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