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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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468
Word bank
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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've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stand — to bear
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. kick — in football
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. kid — child
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ball — a dance
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. stand — for spectators

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