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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: pit · rash · mug · sharp · stick · bear · kid · spring

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. spring — a coil
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rash — a series
  10. spring — the season
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. spring — of water
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. bear — the animal
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pit — in a race
  23. kid — to tease
  24. sharp — clever

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