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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. scale — in music
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. drill — army training
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. kid — child
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. kid — to tease
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cap — a hat
  12. drill — the tool
  13. root — of a plant
  14. cap — of ice
  15. root — the cause
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. cap — a lid
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. root — of a word
  22. drill — a practice
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. mine — for digging

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