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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pop — music
  4. plane — a tool
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. pit — a hole
  9. hand — in cards
  10. staff — employees
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. hand — help
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pit — in a race
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kid — child
  21. staff — employees
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. pop — soda

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