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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. fall — the season
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. squash — to crush
  6. fall — to drop
  7. squash — the sport
  8. kid — child
  9. board — a committee
  10. present — there
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. track — a song
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. present — a gift
  16. sharp — clever
  17. track — to keep track
  18. fall — to drop
  19. court — for sport
  20. kid — to tease
  21. court — of a king
  22. present — the time now
  23. board — to get on
  24. court — of law

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