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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. season — in sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. kid — child
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. kid — to tease
  8. season — of the year
  9. wind — moving air
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. mug — a cup
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mug — a face
  18. kick — a thrill

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