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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. band — a music group
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — in golf
  7. race — the arms race
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. game — a match
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. game — wild animals
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. swing — to play on
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. race — a contest
  20. kid — child
  21. race — humankind
  22. kid — to tease
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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