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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. craft — a skill
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kid — child
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. craft — boats
  9. fall — to drop
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pop — music
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. fall — the season
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. pop — soda
  21. fall — to drop
  22. land — a country
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. pop — to visit

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