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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 120 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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. club — for dancing
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. track — to keep track
  6. present — there
  7. kid — child
  8. land — to come down
  9. mark — a grade
  10. kid — to tease
  11. land — a country
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. board — a committee
  14. land — ground
  15. club — a group
  16. track — a song
  17. rash — a series
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. rash — hasty
  20. track — a path
  21. club — for golf
  22. board — to get on
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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