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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. snap — to click
  4. band — a ring
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. firm — decided
  7. kid — child
  8. fine — high quality
  9. firm — steady
  10. season — of the year
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a music group
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fine — all right
  15. fork — in a road
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. firm — a company
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. season — in sport
  20. shower — to wash
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. shower — rain

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