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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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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: pitcher · fine · bat · kid · craft · fan · game · arm

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fine — high quality
  5. craft — a skill
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. fine — all right
  9. kid — to tease
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. game — a match
  13. craft — boats
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. kid — child
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — for baseball

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