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

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. game — wild animals
  3. court — for sport
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. mate — a partner
  6. kid — child
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. court — of law
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mate — a friend
  15. band — a ring
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. court — of a king
  18. game — a match
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mate — to breed
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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