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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: court · mate · kid · pitcher · present · track · hide · rash

  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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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. rash — on the skin
  4. track — to keep track
  5. court — for sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. mate — to breed
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — there
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — of law
  13. track — a song
  14. mate — a friend
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. rash — a series
  18. track — a path
  19. mate — a partner
  20. court — of a king
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hide — to keep secret

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