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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cap — a hat
  4. lie — to recline
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. net — for catching
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. net — after costs
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. kid — to tease
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. snap — to click
  13. cap — a lid
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. net — in sport
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. plane — a tool
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. cap — of ice
  21. kid — child
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. lie — an untruth

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