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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called 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. wind — moving air
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rush — hurry
  8. kid — to tease
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. charge — electricity
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bat — the animal
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. charge — in control
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. charge — a price
  22. kid — child
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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