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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 · roll · key · bear · kid · jam · object · clip

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. track — a path
  3. kid — to tease
  4. key — the most important part
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. roll — a list
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. key — in music
  9. bear — the animal
  10. track — a song
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. object — an aim
  14. clip — for paper
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. clip — to cut
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. key — for a lock
  20. roll — a cake
  21. bear — the animal
  22. clip — a video
  23. object — a thing
  24. track — to keep track

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