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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rock — a stone
  3. rash — a series
  4. kid — child
  5. rash — hasty
  6. branch — a division
  7. cap — a lid
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. race — the arms race
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — bread
  14. cap — a hat
  15. race — a contest
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. cap — of ice
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. kid — to tease
  24. race — humankind

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