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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fall — to drop
  3. branch — a division
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pop — music
  7. cold — not warm
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. fall — the season
  11. fine — all right
  12. toast — bread
  13. cold — an illness
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fine — high quality
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pop — to visit
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. kid — child
  23. pop — soda
  24. toast — the most admired

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