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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mate — a friend
  3. spell — letters
  4. rest — a break
  5. season — of the year
  6. rest — what's left
  7. mate — a partner
  8. fall — the season
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. can — a tin
  11. mate — to breed
  12. spell — a short time
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spell — magic
  17. fall — to drop
  18. can — a tin
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — to be able to
  21. season — in sport
  22. kid — to tease
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kid — child

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