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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. kid — to tease
  6. deal — to handle
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. file — a document
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. season — in sport
  14. mine — for digging
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. kid — child
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. file — a line of people
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. file — a tool
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. season — of the year
  24. staff — employees

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