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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. spell — letters
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rock — a stone
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rest — a break
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rock — music
  10. hand — in cards
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — a short time
  19. tube — a container
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hand — help
  22. ball — a dance
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rest — what's left

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