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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. charge — electricity
  6. craft — boats
  7. kid — child
  8. charge — a price
  9. fine — all right
  10. hand — in cards
  11. kid — to tease
  12. foot — a measure
  13. fine — high quality
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. hand — help
  16. charge — in control
  17. spell — magic
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. craft — a skill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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