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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. cold — an illness
  6. saw — the tool
  7. kid — to tease
  8. clip — to cut
  9. firm — decided
  10. saw — the tool
  11. kid — child
  12. clip — a video
  13. firm — a company
  14. spell — a short time
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — a trace
  18. firm — steady
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. spell — letters
  21. spell — magic
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. cold — not warm
  24. clip — for paper

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