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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. cell — a phone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — all right
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. can — to be able to
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. kid — child
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. fine — high quality
  16. can — a tin
  17. lie — to recline
  18. cell — in biology

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