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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. club — for golf
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. shower — to wash
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kick — in football
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. club — a group
  18. capital — a city
  19. shower — rain
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. plane — a tool
  22. capital — money
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. club — for dancing

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