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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. band — a ring
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. kid — child
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — all right
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. kid — to tease
  11. march — the month
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. bear — the animal
  14. march — music
  15. kick — in football
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bore — to drill
  18. march — the month
  19. bore — to tire
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. bore — gave birth

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