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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lie — to recline
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. tear — to rip
  12. kid — child
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bat — the animal
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. deal — to handle
  19. game — a match
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. tear — from crying

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