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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. mate — a partner
  3. squash — the sport
  4. kid — to tease
  5. can — to be able to
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. squash — to crush
  8. land — a country
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. kid — child
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. mate — to breed
  15. land — to come down
  16. can — a tin
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. mate — a friend
  19. toast — bread
  20. land — ground
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. can — a tin
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. chair — a leader

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