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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 120 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. court — of law
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fine — high quality
  5. kid — child
  6. fine — all right
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cap — a lid
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. bear — the animal
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. court — for sport
  17. cap — of ice
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. court — of a king
  21. bear — the animal
  22. cap — a hat
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. nail — for a hammer

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