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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. track — a path
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. file — a document
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. march — music
  8. file — a tool
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. cue — a hint
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. cue — a signal
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cue — for pool
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. track — a song
  22. track — to keep track
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — child

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