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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. hand — in cards
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. wind — moving air
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rash — a series
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. key — in music
  10. perch — the fish
  11. key — the most important part
  12. rash — hasty
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. kid — to tease
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. kid — child
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wind — moving air
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. hand — help

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