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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. can — a tin
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. shower — rain
  5. can — a tin
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. kid — child
  13. fork — in a road
  14. shower — to wash
  15. can — to be able to
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stand — to bear
  18. mine — for digging
  19. craft — a skill
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — boats

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