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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. ground — the earth
  3. kid — child
  4. craft — boats
  5. bear — the animal
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. season — of the year
  10. ground — crushed
  11. content — the amount
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ground — a position
  14. content — happy
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. craft — a skill
  18. content — videos and posts

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