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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. wake — a trail
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. saw — the tool
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. chest — a box
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. season — of the year
  13. kid — child
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — to tease
  18. chest — of your body
  19. season — in sport
  20. rush — hurry
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. saw — the tool
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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