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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 116 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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. march — the month
  3. net — for catching
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — employees
  6. bass — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. net — after costs
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. staff — a stick
  11. net — in sport
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. band — a ring
  15. kid — to tease
  16. chip — for betting
  17. march — the month
  18. band — a music group
  19. march — music
  20. chip — to eat
  21. kid — child
  22. mate — a friend
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. chip — in a computer

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