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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. kid — to tease
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. squash — to crush
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. squash — the sport
  10. cap — of ice
  11. spell — letters
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. craft — boats
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — the underground
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. stock — goods
  21. spell — magic
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — a short time
  24. cap — a hat

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