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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. tube — a container
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. track — a song
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. rest — what's left
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. kid — child
  21. rest — a break
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kid — to tease
  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