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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. rest — what's left
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. ball — a great time
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. kid — child
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. rest — a break
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rest — what's left
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. rash — a series
  24. bark — to shout

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