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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. tube — the underground
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. craft — boats
  10. lean — thin
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pound — a weight
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. lean — to bend
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tube — a container
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fan — a supporter

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