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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. present — there
  6. present — a gift
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. ball — a dance
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. kid — child
  16. ball — a great time
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. present — the time now

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