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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — help
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. fall — the season
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. chest — of your body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. chest — a box
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. craft — boats
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. fall — to drop

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