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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mug — to rob
  3. land — ground
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. march — the month
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. root — of a word
  10. mug — a cup
  11. capital — a city
  12. kid — to tease
  13. land — a country
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mug — a face
  16. fine — all right
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. kid — child
  19. fine — high quality
  20. capital — money
  21. land — to come down
  22. march — music
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. march — the month

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