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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 116 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mug — a face
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. mug — a cup
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. track — a song
  13. wound — an injury
  14. track — a path
  15. kid — to tease
  16. wound — an injury
  17. staff — employees
  18. present — there
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mug — to rob
  21. staff — a stick
  22. present — a gift
  23. staff — employees
  24. kid — child

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