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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. net — after costs
  8. kid — child
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. net — for catching
  14. mate — to breed
  15. hand — help
  16. lie — to recline
  17. mate — a friend
  18. shower — to wash
  19. net — in sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bark — to shout
  22. shower — rain
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bark — of a tree

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