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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. shower — to wash
  3. mark — a trace
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. sharp — clever
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rock — music
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. object — an aim
  12. mark — a grade
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. object — to protest
  16. can — a tin
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. can — a tin
  19. rock — a stone
  20. shower — rain
  21. object — a thing
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kid — child
  24. mark — to pay attention

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