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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. charge — a price
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. craft — boats
  7. kid — child
  8. stand — to bear
  9. hand — in cards
  10. stock — shares
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. craft — a skill
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mine — for digging
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. charge — electricity
  22. kid — to tease
  23. charge — in control
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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