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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. can — to be able to
  3. kid — child
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bear — the animal
  6. rash — hasty
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. can — a tin
  9. rash — a series
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — a container
  12. can — a tin
  13. scale — size or range
  14. prune — to trim
  15. kid — to tease
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. tube — the underground
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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