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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stock — goods
  7. last — to go on
  8. hand — help
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. stock — shares
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kid — child
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. vault — a safe
  15. kid — to tease
  16. last — final
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. last — finally
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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