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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. object — to protest
  3. kid — child
  4. object — an aim
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. rash — hasty
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. land — a country
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mate — a friend
  16. object — a thing
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mate — to breed
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rash — a series
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mine — for digging

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