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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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. file — a document
  3. file — a line of people
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. stem — to come from
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. file — a tool
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. kid — child
  18. foot — the bottom

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