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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kid — child
  3. band — a music group
  4. kid — to tease
  5. craft — a skill
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. hand — in cards
  12. craft — boats
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mark — a trace
  18. band — a ring
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. mark — a grade
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. pass — a permit
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cabinet — ministers

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