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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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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. last — final
  4. staff — employees
  5. kid — child
  6. last — finally
  7. ground — a position
  8. staff — employees
  9. craft — a skill
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. band — a ring
  13. craft — boats
  14. ground — the earth
  15. band — a music group
  16. row — to paddle
  17. staff — a stick
  18. last — to go on
  19. ground — crushed
  20. row — a line
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. toast — bread
  23. kid — to tease
  24. toast — the most admired

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