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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. squash — to crush
  5. capital — a city
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. roll — a cake
  8. capital — money
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. bulb — for light
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. kid — child
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. squash — the sport
  17. sharp — clever
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. kid — to tease
  21. roll — a list
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. squash — the vegetable

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