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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. craft — a skill
  12. tube — the underground
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tube — a container
  17. bear — the animal
  18. kid — child
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. craft — boats
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. leaves — lets stay

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