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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. saw — the tool
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. season — of the year
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. prune — to trim
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. season — in sport
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. saw — the tool
  20. prune — to trim
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chair — a leader
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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