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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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 — to tease
  3. track — a path
  4. kid — child
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. cell — a phone
  9. face — to point toward
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. face — to confront
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. face — part of the head
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. track — a song
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. cell — in biology
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. stand — to bear

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