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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. stem — to come from
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. drill — the tool
  13. can — a tin
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. can — to be able to
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — to tease
  18. fine — all right
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. can — a tin
  21. bat — the animal
  22. drill — army training
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bass — low music

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