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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 116 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 ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bore — to tire
  5. march — the month
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. track — to keep track
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. lie — to recline
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. saw — the tool
  17. track — a path
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bore — to drill
  20. track — a song
  21. march — music
  22. kid — child
  23. bat — the animal
  24. saw — the tool

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