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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. net — for catching
  3. mine — for digging
  4. kid — to tease
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. root — the cause
  8. net — in sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. root — of a plant
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. can — a tin
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. kid — child
  18. root — of a word
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bore — to tire
  22. net — after costs
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. plane — an aircraft

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