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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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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: track · mug · rash · net · kid · rock · press · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. track — a path
  3. net — after costs
  4. kid — child
  5. track — a song
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mug — a face
  8. rash — a series
  9. press — to push
  10. net — in sport
  11. last — final
  12. track — to keep track
  13. rock — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rock — a stone
  16. kid — to tease
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — a publisher
  19. net — for catching
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — to rob
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. last — finally

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