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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. present — the time now
  4. season — of the year
  5. key — the most important part
  6. capital — a city
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. mark — a trace
  9. key — in music
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. capital — money
  16. present — a gift
  17. kid — to tease
  18. present — there
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mark — a grade
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. track — to keep track

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