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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. field — farmland
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kid — child
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. deal — to handle
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. cold — not warm
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. toast — bread
  24. bowl — a dish

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