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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — in cards
  4. season — of the year
  5. track — a song
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lean — to bend
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. drill — army training
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. season — in sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lean — thin
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. suit — to fit
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. drill — a practice
  24. season — to add flavour

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