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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. can — to be able to
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. cap — a lid
  6. track — a path
  7. tear — from crying
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. kid — to tease
  12. cap — a hat
  13. tear — to rip
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. cap — of ice
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. tear — from crying

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