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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · track · lie · stick · kid · fan

  1. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. kid — child
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — to tease
  7. lie — to recline
  8. track — a song
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. toast — bread
  11. track — to keep track
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. track — a path
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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