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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fine — high quality
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. kid — child
  8. fork — in a road
  9. root — of a plant
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fine — all right
  12. kid — to tease
  13. root — of a word
  14. hand — in cards
  15. ball — a dance
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. root — the cause
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. hand — help
  24. saw — the tool

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