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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. cap — a lid
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rush — hurry
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. club — a group
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. cap — a hat
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. club — for dancing
  19. cap — of ice
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. kid — child
  22. craft — boats
  23. club — for golf
  24. temple — a place of worship

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