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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. spring — a coil
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. roll — a list
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. spring — of water
  13. kid — to tease
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. kid — child
  16. spring — the season
  17. craft — a skill
  18. roll — a cake
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. craft — boats

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