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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. firm — a company
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. march — the month
  5. hand — help
  6. firm — steady
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. march — music
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. hand — in cards
  18. tube — a container
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kid — child
  21. march — the month
  22. tube — the underground
  23. firm — decided
  24. chair — a professorship

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