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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tear — from crying
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. club — for dancing
  7. land — a country
  8. lie — to recline
  9. land — to come down
  10. club — a group
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. club — for golf
  14. kid — child
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. land — ground
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tear — to rip
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. lie — an untruth

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