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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mug — a face
  4. perch — the fish
  5. season — in sport
  6. pit — in a race
  7. season — of the year
  8. march — the month
  9. capital — a city
  10. kid — child
  11. mug — a cup
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. craft — a skill
  15. march — music
  16. capital — money
  17. kid — to tease
  18. march — the month
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. craft — boats
  23. mug — to rob
  24. craft — a handicraft

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