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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — an injury
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — child
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. game — wild animals
  8. cap — a lid
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — a match
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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