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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — a handicraft
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. chest — of your body
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kid — child
  7. stock — goods
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. ground — crushed
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ground — a position
  12. rush — hurry
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. chest — a box
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. stock — shares
  17. chest — of your body
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. craft — boats
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. craft — a skill

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