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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. present — the time now
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. object — an aim
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. kid — to tease
  8. wind — moving air
  9. object — a thing
  10. fall — to drop
  11. kid — child
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mark — a grade
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. object — to protest
  17. mark — a trace
  18. saw — the tool
  19. present — a gift
  20. fall — the season
  21. present — there
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fan — a supporter

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