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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. face — part of the head
  4. staff — employees
  5. cold — an illness
  6. kid — child
  7. cold — not warm
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. staff — employees
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. face — to confront
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to point toward
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. kid — to tease
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. bark — to shout
  23. fall — to drop
  24. fall — the season

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