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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mate — a friend
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bound — obliged
  8. ball — a great time
  9. mate — to breed
  10. tube — a container
  11. shower — to wash
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wax — to grow
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bound — certain
  18. shower — rain
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mate — a partner
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bound — tied together
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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