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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. tube — the underground
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. tear — from crying
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. plane — a tool
  7. bear — the animal
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. stand — to bear
  10. mug — to rob
  11. last — to go on
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tube — a container
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. last — final
  16. mug — a face
  17. last — finally
  18. mug — a cup
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bear — the animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. tear — to rip

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