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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. track — a song
  5. mark — a grade
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. track — to keep track
  9. kid — to tease
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. track — a path
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mark — a trace

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