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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — to tease
  5. cell — a phone
  6. pass — a permit
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. craft — boats
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. face — part of the head
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ball — a great time
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. face — to confront
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cell — in a prison

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