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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. swing — music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. rest — a break
  6. kid — to tease
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. season — in sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. kid — child
  11. rest — what's left
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. deal — to handle
  16. season — of the year
  17. craft — boats
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. swing — in golf
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. swing — to play on
  23. craft — a skill
  24. tube — the underground

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