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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 116 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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. staff — a stick
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. plane — a tool
  7. kid — child
  8. rash — hasty
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rash — a series
  11. staff — employees
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. tube — a container
  15. craft — a skill
  16. game — a match
  17. kid — to tease
  18. staff — employees
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — soda
  21. tube — the underground
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pop — to visit

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