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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. bank — for money
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. craft — a skill
  10. sharp — clever
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. bank — for money
  13. craft — boats
  14. bank — of a river
  15. roll — a list
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. roll — a cake
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. deal — to handle
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. kid — to tease
  23. chair — to sit on
  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