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

Word bank: plane · pound · pit · stick · rash · fan · kid · rest

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rest — a break
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. kid — child
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pound — a weight
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pit — in a race
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. rash — hasty
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rest — what's left
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rash — a series
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. pit — a hole

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