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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. root — of a word
  4. cold — an illness
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cold — not warm
  7. root — the cause
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. kid — child
  10. can — to be able to
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. can — a tin
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. snap — to click
  16. kid — to tease
  17. can — a tin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. toast — bread
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. plane — a tool
  24. root — of a plant

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