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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. key — in music
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. craft — a skill
  6. key — the most important part
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — of ice
  9. net — after costs
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. tear — from crying
  17. key — for a lock
  18. tear — to rip
  19. net — for catching
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. kid — child
  22. staff — employees
  23. net — in sport
  24. craft — boats

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