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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rash — hasty
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. can — a tin
  5. rash — a series
  6. can — a tin
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. bear — the animal
  9. net — after costs
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. hand — help
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. net — in sport
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. roll — a cake
  20. net — for catching
  21. roll — a list
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. kid — child
  24. can — to be able to

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