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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. saw — the tool
  5. spell — magic
  6. file — a document
  7. file — a line of people
  8. season — in sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — to tease
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a tool
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — a short time
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spell — letters
  23. season — of the year
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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