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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — to tease
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. club — a group
  5. fall — to drop
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kid — child
  8. swing — to play on
  9. club — for golf
  10. shower — to wash
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — in golf
  13. fall — the season
  14. shower — rain
  15. mate — a partner
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. club — for dancing
  20. lie — to recline
  21. mate — to breed
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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