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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. field — for sport
  8. kid — child
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wound — an injury
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — farmland
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. ball — a dance
  18. craft — boats
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. field — a subject
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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