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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: pit · wave · track · roll · staff · kid · deal · last

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. staff — employees
  3. pit — in a race
  4. kid — to tease
  5. deal — to handle
  6. last — finally
  7. track — to keep track
  8. roll — a list
  9. pit — a hole
  10. staff — employees
  11. last — final
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. last — to go on
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. staff — a stick
  16. track — a path
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. roll — a cake
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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