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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 120 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. kid — child
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. hand — help
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bear — the animal
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. deal — to handle
  17. lean — thin
  18. pit — in a race
  19. lean — to bend
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pit — a hole
  22. wound — an injury
  23. fall — the season
  24. kid — to tease

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