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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. kid — to tease
  4. season — in sport
  5. wax — to grow
  6. fine — all right
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. fine — high quality
  9. season — of the year
  10. deal — to handle
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. mark — a trace
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. mark — a grade
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. kid — child
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. deal — a big deal

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