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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 120 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. kid — child
  3. season — in sport
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. present — there
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. hand — in cards
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. craft — boats
  12. present — the time now
  13. bound — obliged
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. craft — a skill
  18. season — of the year
  19. bound — tied together
  20. saw — the tool
  21. present — a gift
  22. bound — certain
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. kid — to tease

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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