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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. track — a path
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. kid — to tease
  5. craft — boats
  6. track — a song
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. club — a group
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — the animal
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. spring — of water
  13. spring — a coil
  14. track — to keep track
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spring — the season
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — a face
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. club — for dancing
  23. club — for golf
  24. mug — to rob

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