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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. present — there
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cap — a hat
  7. key — in music
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. cap — a lid
  12. kid — to tease
  13. staff — employees
  14. cap — of ice
  15. sharp — clever
  16. staff — employees
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. key — the most important part
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. present — the time now
  22. present — a gift
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. sharp — exactly

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