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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. row — to paddle
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. track — a path
  7. bear — the animal
  8. race — a contest
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. race — the arms race
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. track — to keep track
  15. kid — to tease
  16. sharp — clever
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. track — a song
  20. race — humankind
  21. row — a line
  22. date — the fruit
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. leaves — of a tree

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