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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. saw — the tool
  4. prune — to trim
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bound — obliged
  7. last — final
  8. ball — a dance
  9. last — finally
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bound — tied together
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kid — child
  19. prune — to trim
  20. last — to go on
  21. wake — a trail
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ball — a great time

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