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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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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 — in geometry
  3. present — there
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kid — to tease
  7. present — a gift
  8. rock — music
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pop — music
  11. row — to paddle
  12. march — music
  13. pop — soda
  14. march — the month
  15. row — a line
  16. present — the time now
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. kid — child
  19. march — the month
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — a stone
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pop — to visit
  24. plane — a tool

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