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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — child
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. saw — the tool
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stand — to bear
  10. land — a country
  11. ball — a dance
  12. craft — boats
  13. race — humankind
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rest — what's left
  16. race — the arms race
  17. land — ground
  18. rest — a break
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. race — a contest
  22. craft — a skill
  23. land — to come down
  24. ball — a great time

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