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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. craft — boats
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. field — farmland
  7. fine — high quality
  8. wound — an injury
  9. fine — all right
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. object — a thing
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. object — an aim
  14. field — for sport
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. field — a subject
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kid — child
  20. object — to protest
  21. craft — a skill
  22. wound — an injury
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kid — to tease

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