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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 120 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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468
Word bank
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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. pound — a weight
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. rock — a stone
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fork — in a road
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. rock — music
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. season — in sport
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. kid — child
  19. scale — in music
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. kid — to tease
  24. scale — size or range

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