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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. scale — size or range
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rush — hurry
  5. kid — child
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. track — a path
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. track — to keep track
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. cap — a lid
  18. scale — in music
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. cap — of ice
  21. land — ground
  22. track — a song
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. arm — a part of something

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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