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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · wake · rash · saw · game · pitcher · object · craft

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. rash — a series
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. object — to protest
  5. kid — to tease
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. kid — child
  13. object — a thing
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. game — wild animals
  16. craft — boats
  17. saw — the tool
  18. craft — a skill
  19. rash — hasty
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. wake — a trail
  24. game — a match

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