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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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Word bank
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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. rash — hasty
  4. kid — child
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. mate — to breed
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. kid — to tease
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. mate — a friend
  16. snap — to click
  17. band — a ring
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mate — a partner
  23. perch — the fish
  24. band — a music group

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