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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. spell — letters
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kid — child
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. mug — a face
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. chair — a leader
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. scale — size or range
  17. track — a path
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. scale — in music
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. spell — a short time
  23. spell — magic
  24. track — a song

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