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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: mug · sharp · cold · cabinet · track · kid · foot · club

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. club — for dancing
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. kid — to tease
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. club — for golf
  8. mug — a cup
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. track — to keep track
  11. kid — child
  12. foot — a measure
  13. track — a path
  14. track — a song
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. cold — an illness
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mug — to rob
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. mug — a face
  22. club — a group
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — with an edge

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