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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. band — a ring
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pit — in a race
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. band — a music group
  7. last — final
  8. tube — the underground
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. mate — a friend
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mate — to breed
  13. board — a committee
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. mate — a partner
  16. board — to get on
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. last — to go on
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. kid — to tease
  24. last — finally

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