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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. firm — a company
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. file — a tool
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kid — to tease
  7. scale — in music
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. file — a line of people
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. saw — the tool
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cue — for pool
  14. scale — size or range
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a match
  17. cue — a hint
  18. kid — child
  19. firm — steady
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. file — a document

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