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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: rest · stand · track · kid · lash · chip · cue · spell

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rest — a break
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. chip — for betting
  6. track — a song
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. spell — magic
  9. track — a path
  10. rest — what's left
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chip — to eat
  13. kid — to tease
  14. cue — a signal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stand — to bear
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. kid — child

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