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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. clip — a video
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. kid — child
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. chair — a leader
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rush — hurry
  18. ball — a dance
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a great time
  21. kid — to tease
  22. rash — hasty
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. fan — to cool the air

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