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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. kid — child
  3. bound — certain
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. toast — bread
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. craft — boats
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. craft — a skill
  10. file — a tool
  11. bound — obliged
  12. file — a line of people
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. present — there
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bound — tied together
  19. file — a document
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. hide — to keep secret

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