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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kid — to tease
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. net — in sport
  7. net — for catching
  8. wind — moving air
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — after costs
  13. cell — a phone
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. wind — moving air
  17. deal — to handle
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. kid — child
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. mouse — for a computer

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