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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. tube — the underground
  6. present — the time now
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — high quality
  9. drill — a practice
  10. squash — to crush
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — a list
  13. fine — all right
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — a container
  16. present — a gift
  17. squash — the sport
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. ball — a dance
  20. drill — army training
  21. ball — a great time
  22. drill — the tool
  23. kid — child
  24. present — there

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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