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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. cap — a lid
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pound — a weight
  5. drill — the tool
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. drill — army training
  12. bear — the animal
  13. kid — child
  14. pitch — completely
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. drill — a practice
  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