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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. drill — army training
  5. pop — music
  6. spring — a coil
  7. drill — a practice
  8. spring — of water
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pop — soda
  11. kid — to tease
  12. spring — the season
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. sharp — clever
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pound — a weight
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — exactly

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