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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. track — to keep track
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. lean — to bend
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. rush — hurry
  8. mine — for digging
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. lean — thin
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rule — government
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. kid — child
  20. track — a path
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mine — an explosive

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