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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. fall — the season
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. kid — child
  15. dip — to sink
  16. bass — the fish
  17. rest — what's left
  18. net — for catching
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. fall — to drop
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. tube — a container

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