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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pop — soda
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pop — music
  9. root — of a word
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. pop — to visit
  12. fine — all right
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mark — a grade
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bat — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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