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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — to tease
  8. craft — boats
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. kid — child
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. tear — to rip
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — in football
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. craft — a skill
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mouse — the animal

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