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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ball — a dance
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a tool
  13. wake — a trail
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. file — a line of people
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. file — a document
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. saw — the tool

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