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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. kid — child
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. capital — a city
  21. board — to get on
  22. can — to be able to
  23. board — a committee
  24. capital — money

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