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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fork — in a road
  3. kid — to tease
  4. march — the month
  5. rash — hasty
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. march — the month
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. march — music
  13. rash — a series
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. track — to keep track
  16. kid — child
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. track — a path
  19. present — a gift
  20. track — a song
  21. present — the time now
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. present — there
  24. snap — to click

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