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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. tear — from crying
  4. cell — in biology
  5. bank — for money
  6. mate — to breed
  7. tear — from crying
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. hand — help
  11. bank — of a river
  12. kid — child
  13. present — a gift
  14. cell — a phone
  15. tear — to rip
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. present — the time now
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bank — for money
  23. present — there
  24. cell — in a prison

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