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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 am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. pop — soda
  5. kid — child
  6. tube — the underground
  7. file — a tool
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tube — a container
  11. file — a line of people
  12. hand — help
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pop — to visit
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. pop — music
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. rock — music
  20. kid — to tease
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. file — a document
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hand — in cards

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