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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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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 · saw · hide · club · pitch · craft · fan · race

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. craft — boats
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. race — a contest
  6. club — for dancing
  7. craft — a skill
  8. club — for golf
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kid — to tease
  14. saw — the tool
  15. club — a group
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. kid — child
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pitch — completely
  21. race — the arms race
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. race — humankind
  24. saw — the tool

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