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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wind — moving air
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. squash — the sport
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kid — child
  10. craft — boats
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bulb — for light
  13. wind — moving air
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. bulb — for light
  17. rush — hurry
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. squash — to crush
  24. craft — a skill

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