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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. ground — a position
  3. mug — a face
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. hand — in cards
  8. cue — for pool
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. hand — help
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. current — of water
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. current — happening now
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mug — to rob
  17. track — to keep track
  18. mug — a cup
  19. current — electric
  20. cue — a hint
  21. kid — child
  22. pitch — completely
  23. cue — a signal
  24. track — a path

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