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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. bank — for money
  8. mark — a trace
  9. root — of a word
  10. bat — the animal
  11. stock — goods
  12. track — a song
  13. stock — shares
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. track — a path
  16. kid — child
  17. mark — a grade
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. bank — of a river
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bank — for money
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. root — the cause

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