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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. kid — child
  3. firm — a company
  4. row — a line
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. firm — decided
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. hand — in cards
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cap — of ice
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. pass — a permit
  15. kid — to tease
  16. hand — help
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. firm — steady
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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