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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. firm — decided
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. kid — child
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — a practice
  10. kid — to tease
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. cold — not warm
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pit — in a race
  17. firm — a company
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. object — a thing
  20. pit — a hole
  21. cold — an illness
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. firm — steady

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