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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pit — in a race
  3. craft — a skill
  4. kid — to tease
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. pit — a hole
  7. dip — to sink
  8. craft — boats
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. root — the cause
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. object — a thing
  13. root — of a plant
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. object — to protest
  16. root — of a word
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. object — an aim
  19. bass — low music
  20. sharp — clever
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — the instrument

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