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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. craft — boats
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. craft — a skill
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — to breed
  10. kid — to tease
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mate — a friend
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. chest — a box
  21. kid — child
  22. snap — to click
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. stand — for spectators

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