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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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. club — for golf
  4. mug — to rob
  5. scale — size or range
  6. kid — to tease
  7. ground — crushed
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. club — for dancing
  10. season — of the year
  11. club — a group
  12. saw — the tool
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mug — a cup
  15. ground — a position
  16. hand — help
  17. season — in sport
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mug — a face
  21. scale — in music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. kid — child
  24. saw — the 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