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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. key — for a lock
  3. tear — from crying
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pit — a hole
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. tear — to rip
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. kid — child
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a music group
  20. pit — in a race
  21. key — in music
  22. sharp — clever
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. key — the most important part

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