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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. object — a thing
  3. band — a ring
  4. pit — in a race
  5. object — an aim
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. craft — boats
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. drill — a practice
  12. band — a music group
  13. drill — army training
  14. bulb — for light
  15. object — to protest
  16. last — finally
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. drill — the tool
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kid — to tease
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. pit — a hole

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