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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. kick — in football
  5. staff — a stick
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. staff — employees
  8. deal — to handle
  9. kid — to tease
  10. march — music
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. lean — thin
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. kid — child
  18. staff — employees
  19. lean — to bend
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. game — a match
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. bowl — a football final

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