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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mug — to rob
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. craft — a skill
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bass — low music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. bass — the fish
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mug — a face
  16. rush — hurry
  17. craft — boats
  18. hand — help
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. hand — in cards

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