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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. fine — all right
  5. kid — to tease
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kid — child
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. tear — to rip
  18. object — a thing
  19. tear — from crying
  20. object — an aim
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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