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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 116 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. tear — from crying
  6. present — a gift
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. present — the time now
  10. suit — to fit
  11. cap — of ice
  12. present — there
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. saw — the tool
  15. suit — in cards
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. cap — a hat
  18. tear — to rip
  19. suit — clothes
  20. kick — in football
  21. cap — a lid
  22. kid — to tease
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. tear — from crying

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