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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. can — a tin
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. charge — a price
  12. pit — a hole
  13. charge — electricity
  14. rash — a series
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. charge — in control
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. craft — boats
  19. branch — a division
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. can — to be able to
  22. pit — in a race
  23. can — a tin
  24. rash — hasty

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