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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. craft — a skill
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. craft — boats
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ground — crushed
  13. rash — hasty
  14. rash — a series
  15. ground — a position
  16. ground — the earth
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. kick — in football
  21. rush — hurry
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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