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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. last — final
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bank — for money
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. object — a thing
  10. bat — the animal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. last — finally
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. bank — for money
  15. object — to protest
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. object — an aim
  18. kid — to tease
  19. track — a song
  20. last — to go on
  21. tear — from crying
  22. track — a path
  23. kid — child
  24. pound — a weight

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