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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. snap — to click
  4. can — to be able to
  5. board — to get on
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. track — to keep track
  9. scale — in music
  10. game — wild animals
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. kid — to tease
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. board — a committee
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. scale — size or range
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kid — child
  22. track — a song
  23. game — a match
  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