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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. can — to be able to
  3. drill — army training
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. drill — the tool
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. can — a tin
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. hand — help
  16. kid — child
  17. cold — an illness
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. drill — a practice
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. kid — to tease

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