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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. prune — to trim
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. can — a tin
  6. prune — to trim
  7. kid — child
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. craft — boats
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. craft — a skill
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. can — a tin
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. kid — to tease
  17. track — to keep track
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chair — a leader
  23. wake — a trail
  24. arm — part of the body

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