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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. kid — child
  6. lean — thin
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. stand — to bear
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. kid — to tease
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lean — to bend
  22. wind — moving air
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — ministers

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