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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. game — a match
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. cap — of ice
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pit — a hole
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pit — in a race
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. kid — to tease
  14. ball — a great time
  15. mug — a face
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. kid — child
  20. ball — a dance
  21. cap — a lid
  22. game — wild animals
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mug — a cup

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