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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. fall — to drop
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — a partner
  8. club — for dancing
  9. pop — music
  10. fall — the season
  11. kid — to tease
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. can — a tin
  14. club — for golf
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pop — soda
  17. mate — to breed
  18. can — to be able to
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. can — a tin
  23. kid — child
  24. club — a group

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