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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hand — in cards
  8. kid — to tease
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. march — the month
  11. bear — the animal
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. spring — a coil
  14. deal — to handle
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. march — music
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — help
  21. spring — of water
  22. kid — child
  23. spring — the season
  24. deal — an agreement

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