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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 120 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. craft — a skill
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. tear — from crying
  7. bass — the fish
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bass — low music
  11. kid — child
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. kid — to tease
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wake — a trail
  18. craft — boats
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tear — to rip
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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