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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. race — a contest
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cue — a hint
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. race — humankind
  8. cold — not warm
  9. kid — to tease
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cue — for pool
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cold — the Cold War

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