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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bat — the animal
  3. club — for golf
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mark — a grade
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kid — child
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. club — a group
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a document
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. mark — a trace
  24. file — a tool

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