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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 120 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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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. fan — a supporter
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. track — a song
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. last — final
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. mark — a grade
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. last — to go on
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. last — finally
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. stem — to come from
  22. mark — a trace
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. kid — to tease

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