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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — child
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. saw — the tool
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. tear — to rip
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mark — a grade
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. wind — moving air
  22. tear — from crying
  23. squash — to crush
  24. tear — from crying

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