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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — a series
  4. key — the most important part
  5. land — ground
  6. bass — low music
  7. cap — a lid
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. key — in music
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. key — for a lock
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. land — to come down
  18. cap — of ice
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kid — child
  21. kid — to tease
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. land — a country
  24. mark — a grade

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