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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: kid · ball · fall · snap · dip · track · mate · press

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. fall — to drop
  5. press — newspapers
  6. kid — child
  7. mate — to breed
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. press — to push
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mate — a friend
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. track — a path
  14. mate — a partner
  15. dip — to sink
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — the season
  19. kid — to tease
  20. track — a song
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. snap — to click
  23. press — a publisher
  24. ball — a great time

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