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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. root — the cause
  8. can — a tin
  9. lie — to recline
  10. kid — child
  11. rash — hasty
  12. root — of a plant
  13. cell — in biology
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. pitch — completely
  19. kid — to tease
  20. root — of a word
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — a series
  23. cell — a phone
  24. can — a tin

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